SALT LAKE CITY — Passengers on a Greyhound bus that careened off a Utah highway on New Year’s Eve said in a desperate 911 call that the driver had passed out before the crash, according to a recording made public by authorities Thursday.
Police have narrowed the cause to the driver suffering a medical problem or fatigue before the crash, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said.
A 13-year-old girl was killed and 12 other people were hurt when the bus drifted off the shoulder of Interstate 70 along a curve and crashed in a desert ravine about 300 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Greyhound spokeswoman Lanesha Gipson said the company is investigating and declined further comment.
A woman who called 911 screamed for help as dispatchers struggled to have her help them pinpoint the location of the wreckage. She did not know where she was when the bus went off the road en route to Las Vegas. It took 15 minutes for the dispatchers to determine the bus’ location, according to the recording.