L.A. Bus Line Faces Safety Violation Charges

PHOENIX - The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on June 21 issued a notice of claim charging a Los Angeles-based bus line and its owner with multiple safety violations, the Associated Press reported. The company was involved in a March 5 crash near Phoenix that resulted in six fatalities. 

The bus company, Tierra Santa Inc., is owned by Cayetano Martinez. The crash occurred along the westbound Interstate 10, near Sacaton on the Gila River Indian Nation. The bus was carrying 22 passengers from the central Mexican state of Zacatecas to Los Angeles when it hit a pickup truck. After the collision, the bus veered onto the left shoulder of the road, then overcorrected in the opposite direction, and rolled over once before landing on its wheels. 

In addition to fining the bus carrier $72,760 after investigating the crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has charged Martinez with 78 violations of 13 separate motor carrier safety regulations. These include 19 counts of operating without federal authority, 21 counts of operating without required minimum insurance, and 24 counts of operating in violation of a previous federal order to cease operations.