A head-on collision between a tractor-trailer rig and a bus carrying mine employees on a highway in rural northeastern Nevada killed two and injured several others on August 24th, 2019.
Highway Patrol said in a statement that preliminary investigation suggests that the big rig may have crossed over the yellow center lines on State Route 766 about 6 miles north of Carlin around 6:35 am. Carlin is 220 miles west of Salt Lake City.
Both Vehicles Were Heavily Damaged
The highway has several mines operated by Nevada Gold Mines dotting it. The company released a statement that read that their thoughts and prayers were with everyone involved in the coach bus accident.
The two-trailer truck and the coach bus had extensive bodily damages. They were on opposite sides of the two-lane highway. Highway Patrol reported that the truck’s tractor unit was completely shredded.
Two Succumbed to Injuries
There were 21 people on the bus. A bus passenger and the truck driver were fatally wounded and later died from their injuries. All injured passengers were rushed to the Elko hospital. There were five people in critical condition.
Some of the injured were later transported to Salt Lake City area for better medical treatment. Jesse Watts, Eureka County Sheriff, has identified the truck driver as Andrew G. Nash of Spring Creek, Nevada. He was 29 years of age.
The bus passenger who was killed has been identified as Rocky D. Witt, also of Spring Creek. The passenger was 62 years old. Buses routinely transport miners to the gold mines in shifts. The crash is under investigation by the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Seeking Compensation in Nevada Bus Accidents
Nevada courts may punish liable parties by awarding punitive damages. However, this is only done in cases of extreme or gross negligence and intentional harm. Courts tend to typically award compensatory damages if a victim is eligible to recover damages for losses incurred as a direct or indirect result of the bus accident.
It takes an experienced coach accident attorney to navigate the various complexities involved with a lawsuit. Some of the common recoverable damages that a coach accident lawyer may recover include:
It is also possible that a lawyer may be able to win non-economic damages in the form of pain and suffering.