Newly Engaged Couple Among Bus Crash Victims

Authorities still don't know what caused a FedEx truck to smash into a tour bus yesterday on a California highway, but they cautioned that the investigation could take six months, reports the Sacramento Bee. The death toll remains at 10, including five high school students who were on their way to visit Humboldt State University, reports the Los Angeles Times. Among those dead were two adult chaperones on the bus, Michael Myvett and Mattison Haywood, who had recently gotten engaged in Paris, reports the AP. At least one of the injured passengers remains in critical condition.

A California Highway Patrol official said investigators were looking into whether the truck driver fell asleep before the crash at 5:40pm, had a mechanical failure, or perhaps had another accident that caused him to cross the median. Authorities say the truck clipped a Nissan Altima before hitting the tour bus, but the two occupants of the car suffered only minor injuries. It's unclear whether the truck was out of control before that happened. Meanwhile, a teen who was aboard the bus said it had been running late, in part because it had been involved in an earlier, minor accident. The teen, Calvin Aceves, said he fell asleep after boarding and woke to the sounds of the crash. “I just heard the screaming, and I was halfway asleep so I thought I was dreaming,” he told the Bee. “I turned my head a little and I see fire. Just a ball of fire.” (More bus crash stories.)