Utah Ski Bus Case Will Go to Trial

Two families, who suffered a death and several injuries after a ski bus rolled down an embankment in Utah last January, have hired attorneys. A Nebraska-based motor coach company called Arrow Stage Lines was contracted to take 17 busloads of skiers to and from Colorado for a three-day ski trip. A total of nine people died and 23 were injured in the tragic ski bus incident.

Marc Rasmussen, an 18-year-old high school senior, died in the wreckage. His mother, Kim, and four other family members, including a 5-year-old boy, were injured. Some family members have been released, but Kim remains hospitalized in New Mexico.

A Utah Highway patrolman who investigated the accident said the driver, Walland Lotan, 71, was driving at the 65 mph speed limit when he rounded a tight curve, plunging the 52 passengers into the embankment; but, said the patrolman, the driver should have slowed by several miles an hour as he approached the curve.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Utah Highway Patrol are conducting an investigation into the accident, including an analysis of a “data collector” (or “black box”) on board the bus that logs speed and position at the time of the accident, and records video of the driver.

If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of a bus driver, contact us at Neff Injury Law. We have handled bus wrecks and a prompt phone call or an email us as soon as possible can mean preservation of the black box evidence before it disappears.