#QuincyBusCollision Investigation – Preliminary Information
#QuincyBusCollision Investigation – Preliminary Information
Yesterday’s collision which claimed the life of a tour bus driver was, in fact, two separate collisions.
Around 9 a.m., a Quincy School District bus driven by 56-year-old Jacqueline Mora of Ephrata was stopped in the westbound lane of Road 5-Northwest picking up a student. The school bus was rear-ended by a 2006 Jeep Liberty driven by 19-year-old Jocelyn Gutierrez of East Wenatchee. Gutierrez pulled the Jeep off the roadway and into a driveway. The school bus remained blocking the westbound lane of Road 5-Northwest.
The school bus was then rear-ended by a westbound 2005 Prevost tour bus driven by 71-year-old Sidney Austin of Spokane. Mr. Austin died at the scene.
All 26 students and school bus driver Mora were transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center for evaluation. School bus occupants sustained either no injuries or non-life-threatening injuries. The students ranged in age from 5 to 15. All students were reunited with their parents.
There were 39 passengers, one tour guide and the driver, Mr. Austin, on the tour bus. The injured were all transported to Quincy Valley Medical Center and were temporarily sheltered in the hospital’s convalescent wing. None of those people sustained life threatening injuries.
Gutierrez, the Jeep’s driver, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Neither alcohol nor drugs appear to have contributed to this collision, but dense fog was a factor. All drivers were wearing their seat belts.
The incident remains under investigation by the Grant County Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit and the Washington State Patrol’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, which is normal procedure for collisions involving commercial vehicles such as school buses and tour buses.
Case Number 19GS15715
Kyle Foreman R-75
Public Information Officer
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
509-760-3713
[email protected]
Address/Location
Grant County Sheriff's Office
35 C St NW
Ephrata, WA 98823
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 509-754-2011