Though Greyhound has had its share of tragic bus accidents over the past decade, new information indicates that this crash was likely not the driver’s fault. A coroner announced today that autopsy results indicate that the driver of the overturned Chevrolet Trailblazer was drunk when her car capsized in the middle of the highway.

Sylvia Lopez Garay, 18, was driving her friends Stephanie Cordoba, 20, and Venessa Gonzalez, 19, home from a dance party in Fresno. The coroner predicted that Garay’s blood alcohol content at the time was 0.11, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Here’s how the Associated Press describes the accident, according to preliminary results from investigators:

Preliminary investigations show Garay made an abrupt left turn across the two northbound lanes of Highway 99 and hit the center divider just after 2 a.m., flipping the Chevy Trailblazer on its side. State records show she had a clean driving record.

The bus, which was carrying 31 passengers, struck the Trailblazer and then skidded into a concrete center divider and clipped another vehicle before careening off the highway and hitting a tree, according to authorities.

The investigators predict that Garay and her friends were exiting the vehicle when the bus stuck, killing all SUV passengers and three in the bus. “We already knew Sylvia was intoxicated, so it doesn’t make a difference to me,” said Francisco Quinones, Gonzalez’s brother. “They’re gone. I’m not angry.”

On all levels, the accident was horrific, especially considering that it could have been avoided with stricter highway laws, more prevalent drunk driving prevention programs, or simply putting the keys away when the friends started drinking.

Photo credit: TooFarNorth

UPDATE: The Fresno Bee has been live blogging this story, with consistent, up to the minute updates. Check it out here.

A Greyhound bus driving from Los Angeles to Sacramento collided with an overturned SUV in California’s Central Valley on Highway 99 near Fresno early Thursday morning. To avoid a second collision, confirms California Highway Patrol Officer Michelle Sigmond, the driver of the Greyhound swerved and crashed in to a concrete divider and a large eucalyptus tree. The bus accident led to 6 deaths and 34 injuries.

Among the deaths were the driver of the bus, four yet-to-be identified women, and likely one of the passengers in the overturned SUV. Authorities said injured passengers were taken to Community Regional Medical Center and other Valley hospitals.

“I had just woke up and I heard a boom once, and a boom again and the next thing I know we were down this embankment,” said Linda Gee, a passenger on the bus. “There was just bleeding everywhere…I’m alive and I thank God I’m alive.”

The Fresno bus accident is a tragic reminder that our highways need to be safer. Our thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured by Thursday’s accidents.

We’ll keep you updated with developments on this story as the situation becomes more clear.

Photo credit: heliosphan