A Bus Crash In Arkansas Kills 6 And Injures 6 Migrant Workers From Mexico [Video]


A bus crash in Arkansas has claimed six lives, while leaving six with injuries. The bus was ferrying migrant workers, all from Mexico, when the freak accident happened.

A bus, ferrying migrant workers from Mexico, veered off the highway between Michigan and Texas. The resulting accident caused the death of six people. Six others suffered injuries and have been released from the hospital after being treated. The driver of the bus survived the accident. The bus crashed on Interstate 40 in North Little Rock. Police noted the crash happened at 1 a.m. Apart from the night time, which could have hampered the visibility of the driver, there was light rain and fog, too, that had rolled in from a light storm that had passed through the area earlier. Police are investigating if the less-than-ideal weather played any role in the bus crash. The investigation initially focused on driver fatigue, but investigators are expected to broaden the scope and look into multiple angles.

The charter bus that crashed in Arkansas was ferrying migrant farm workers who had boarded the bus in Monroe, Michigan, and were returning to Mexico, confirmed state and federal officials, who added that majority of the passengers of the ill-fated bus had been in United States on H2A visas, reported Toronto Sun. These time-limited visas are usually given to seasonal agricultural workers.

The visas have a very strict schedule, and migrant workers must return to their home country, according to Department of Homeland Security, failing which, they can be listed as violators of visa law and apprehended. None of the officials are willing to indicate if any of the workers on the bus had an expired visa. However, since the company that employed them had arranged for their transport, it doesn’t seem to be the case.

Monroe, which is in southeast Michigan, has a heavy influx of migrant workers. These workers are required to work in the fields for seasonal harvests and the companies, or farms, that hire them ensure the workers go back to their homeland. The bus that crashed had 22 people, including the driver. It was headed to Laredo, Texas, added Maj. Mike Foster, a division commander with the Arkansas State Police, reported the New York Times.

The reason for the accident isn’t immediately known, but the bus did strike a concrete barrier and then slammed into an overpass before dawn Friday on the Arkansas highway. According to Foster, the driver, identified as 28-year-old Roberto Vasquez, hit a barrier on the right side that separates the highway from a frontage road, and then kept going before hitting an overpass, reported CNN. Incidentally, the driver, who survived the crash with minimal injuries, claims he doesn’t know what happened, added Foster, “He said he felt a bump.”

A “bump” might be a gross understatement, because the bus that crashed in Arkansas had its roof ripped off. Authorities are expected to investigate the crash and check if the bus would have passed passenger safety tests. Charter buses are expected to feature seatbelts, besides being driven by drivers who aren’t fatigued.

There are no apparent indications which suggest Vasquez’s driving abilities were hindered by alcohol or drugs, but the authorities have confirmed they will explore multiple possible causes. The driver had a valid driving license, registered in the state of Michigan. The bus was ferrying 19 passengers as well as three employees of Florida-based Vasquez Citrus and Hauling Inc. of Lake Placid, Florida, apart from the driver.

Though the exact jobs of the migrant workers aren’t known, the company regularly calls for temporary workers to plant and harvest fruits and vegetables in Monroe County from mid-January through the end of November.

[Photo by Kevin Frayer / Getty Images]

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