HIGHWAY ACCIDENT BRIEF: SINGLE-VEHICLE MOTORCOACH ROLLOVER, NEAR PLEASANT VIEW, TENNESSEE, AUGUST 19, 2001

On August 19, 2001, a Greyhound motorcoach was traveling on Interstate Highway 24 near the town of Pleasant View, Tennessee (about 25 miles from its final destination of Nashville, Tennessee). The bus was traveling at or near the 70-mph speed limit in the right-hand lane when it slowly drifted across the left-hand lane, over rumble strips, off the roadway, and into the grassy median. The bus continued forward for approximately 600 feet, then came back onto the pavement at a sharp angle, and began yawing to the left. Next, the bus began turning to the left and yawing to the right and departed the pavement on the right-hand side of the road, continuing into a broadside skid. The bus overturned onto its right side, slid 198 feet on the grassy roadside, and came to rest. During the overturn, a passenger was fatally injured. The driver and the remaining 43 passengers received minor-to-serious injuries. The driver reported no mechanical problems with the bus, and a postcrash inspection indicated no defects in the brakes, steering, tires, or suspension. The driver was a full-time, extra-board driver for Greyhound and had accumulated 9 months of professional experience as a Greyhound driver at the time of the accident. Toxicology tests showed no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the driver's blood specimen. The driver in this accident had been awake for nearly 20 hours of the 24-hour period immediately preceding the accident and had reverted to an inverted work-rest cycle on his days off before the accident. However, Greyhounds scheduling practices did not prevent the driver from receiving rest, as evidenced by his reported 4-hour nap that ended 12 hours before the accident. Passengers on the bus stated they observed the driver having difficulty staying awake during the trip. The driver could not recall any events that occurred within approximately 50 miles of the accident site. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was driver fatigue due to inadequate sleep in the 24-hour period preceding the accident.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HAB0218.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Bureau of Accident Investigation, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 2002-12-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 6 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus crashes; Bus drivers; Crash causes; Crash diagrams; Crash investigation; Crash reports; Driver errors; Fatalities; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Hours of labor; Injuries; Loss of control; Passengers; Rollover crashes; Schedules; Single vehicle crashes; Sleep deprivation
• Geographic Terms: Tennessee
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; I80: Accident Studies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00943562
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HWY-01-FH-033,, NTSB/HAB-02/18
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 18 2003 12:00AM