UC Santa Cruz Police completes investigation into fatal bus crash
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. (KION-TV)- UC Santa Cruz Police have completed their investigation into the cause of a bus crash that killed the bus driver and injured five students in December of last year.
On December 12th, according to officials, the driver of the bus, Dan Stevenson, had made several loops without any issues. Stevenson could be seen on video less than a minute before the crash with the bus’s lights, brakes, and steering working as the bus made a right turn onto Coolidge Drive from Hagar Drive, then entering a sweeping left-hand curve on Coolidge Drive just past Ranch View Road toward the campus entrance.
For an unknown reason, the bus veered off the right roadway edge where it collided with signposts, fencing, and the rock wall of a lime kiln, where it then stopped.
During the investigation, the California Highway Patrol's Coastal Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) did a mechanical inspection on the bus throttle operation, power-train, tires and wheels, suspension and the air brake system. They found no evidence of any damage or defect that could contribute to the cause of the crash. On top of this, the bus passed a regular CHP inspection 90 days before the crash, and underwent service on December 9th, when the brakes were adjusted and the brake pads were replaced.
Because of these findings, the investigation concluded that the cause of the crash was from Stevenson not inputting sufficient steering to handle the left hand curve.
