Last year, a tour bus in Southern California smashed into the back of a tractor trailer, tragically killing 13 people aboard the bus and injuring 31. Now, authorities have arrested and charged the truck driver that was hit from behind.
The accident occurred back on October 23, 2016, on the 10 Freeway north of Palm Springs, California.
The crash happened when a Red Earth casino tour bus plowed into the back of a tractor trailer driven by 51-year-old truck driver Bruce Guilford, who stopped on the highway due to construction.
The bus was traveling at approximately 76mph at the time of the accident. The driver of the bus was killed in the crash, along with 12 passengers. In total, more than 30 people were taken to the hospital with varying degrees of injuries.
After the crash, Guilford was praised as a hero for leaving his truck and helping passengers aboard the mangled bus, despite being injured himself.
Nearly a year later, on October 19th, 2017, the ‘hero truck driver’ was arrested and hit with a slew of charges.
A multi-agency investigation determined that Guilford fell asleep in his truck while stopped for construction, and continued to halt traffic even when the lanes were reopened. Investigators say Guilford had exceeded his maximum driving hours under federal Hours of Service regulations, and was using a falsified travel log.
A spokesperson from the California Highway Patrol said the truck driver had “likely not slept in a extended period of time leading up to the accident”
Guilford was charged with 12 counts of felony reckless driving causing injury; 13 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence; and 16 misdemeanor counts of reckless driving causing injury — 41 charges in total.
He is currently being held on $500,000 bail at a facility in Georgia.
The investigation also revealed that the tour bus was not properly maintained and failed to brake before plowing into the tractor trailer.
