‘Everybody started panicking’: Passenger describes bus crash that injured 22

TREMONTON, Utah (KSL.com) — More than a dozen people were injured when a bus crashed on I-84 near Tremonton early Monday.

The bus was eastbound around 4:30 a.m. when the driver apparently was changing lanes and lost control on the slick road about five miles west of Tremonton, according to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden.

The bus slid off the road to the right and rolled onto its side.

Thirty-three people were on the bus, including the bus driver. Reports show 22 people were taken to area hospitals, two in critical condition, Roden said.

Other passengers were transported to the Garland Armory.

One passenger, Alek Peeples, recalled the moment the bus slid off the roadway, telling KSL-TV it was “terrible.” Peeples said the trip was one leg of his journey back home to Michigan from Oregon.

“I felt the bus getting more and more out of control as it was shaking,” Peeples said. “But then the clear thought that hit me was just when everybody started panicking, screaming as (the driver) turned off the road and then the bus started flipping.”

After the bus flipped on its side, Peeples said he was able to escape through an emergency escape hatch in the roof. Peeples made it through with only a few scratches, which he said “was just pure luck.”

“All I could hear are children screaming for their mom and stuff,” he said. “It was terrible. There was blood everywhere. … It was terrible.”

Peeples said he and other passengers flagged down passing cars and called 911. Ambulances arrived around 20 minutes later, he said. Most of the passengers were injured by falling on top of one another when the bus flipped, Peeples said.

“Almost every ambulance probably in the county (responded),” said UHP Sgt. Brian Nelson. “They were doing the best they could; it was an amazing response from them.”

Nelson said troopers know to expect crashes during winter storms and urged drivers to slow down when conditions worsen.

Peeples said he would think twice about taking a bus in winter weather again.

“Don’t be cheap and take the Greyhound,” he said. “Make sure you get a plane ticket during the winter.”

Roden said troopers believe the bus was owned by the Salt Lake Express shuttle service company. It was headed from Boise, Idaho, to Salt Lake City.

Officers are still working the crash scene.

Contributing: Linda Williams