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RAWLINS, Wyo. (AP) -- The driver of a Greyhound bus that rolled onto its side in the median of Interstate 80, injuring 39 people, was cited for driving too fast for conditions.
The crash happened around 3 a.m. Sunday. The driver, David Soraiz, 51, of Sandy, Utah, told troopers he was blinded by snow kicked up by a passing semitrailer truck, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
One passenger, Alton Hooks, of Tacoma, Wash., said Soraiz "did the best he could" to drive the bus through the whiteout. "He was trying to steer out of it. The road conditions was just terrible," she said.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the crash oc curred, and they described a scene of chaos as the bus went over. "I felt it fishtail a couple times, and people started screaming," said Louis Miller of San Jose, Calif.
"We just fell onto each other," said Michael Bultena, of Wichita Falls, Texas, who was cut on his head.
On Monday, 11 people remained hospitalized at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County in Rawlins and at Wyoming Medical Center in Casper. Officials at both hospitals on Monday did not disclose information about the patients' condition.
Patsy Carter, chief executive officer of the Rawlins hospital, said Sunday that three had been taken to Casper for treatment of head injuries and six remained at the Rawlins hospital with lacerations and fractures.
The eastbound bus was carrying 43 passengers, including the driver, and originated in Salt Lake City. It was bound for Denver with stops in Evanston, Rock Springs, Rawlins and Laramie.
The crash happened 23 miles east of Rawlins, or about 150 miles west of Cheyenne.
Other motorists and truck drivers stopped to help and provide passengers who could move refuge from the bitter cold. The temperature at the time was about 0 degrees.
The injured were taken to a makeshift triage center set up at a community center and the Rawlins hospital. Most were treated and released for minor cuts and bruises. Some suffered bruised ribs and dislocated shoulders.
Greyhound sent two buses from Denver to retrieve the uninjured and those who could continue the trip, Greyhound spokeswoman Anna Folmnsbee said.
Folmnsbee said Greyhound drivers receive extensive training on driving in inclement weather conditions. "Safety is always the top priority," she said.
Townsend said the accident remained under investigation.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
