Elderly Man Dies Following Pala Tour Bus Crash

A 91-year-old man who was a passenger on a tour bus that crashed Thursday on the 15 Freeway has died, the coroner’s office is reporting.

Midway resident Khang Tieu was pronounced dead Thursday at 10:03 p.m., according to the Riverside County coroner’s office.

He died after being transported to Riverside Community Hospital following the 2:30 p.m. crash on the northbound side of the freeway, just north of Ontario Avenue, in Corona.

The coroner’s office did not indicate a cause of death, however California Highway Patrol officer Travis Monks said all of the 22 bus passengers were transported to various hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. The bus driver, Jian Fei Duan, 35, of Baldwin Park, also sustained minor injuries, according to Monks.

The bus operated by Walnut-based Sina Coach was enroute from Pala Casino to Westminster in Orange County.

Duan was traveling at approximately 65 mph in the rain -- "unsafe speed for roadway conditions," Monks reported.

As he passed the Ontario Avenue freeway exit at approximately 2:30 p.m., Duan was "unable to maintain control of the bus on the wet roadway. The bus traveled off the roadway, into the center median area. [It] struck the center median guardrail and overturned onto its side, coming to rest blocking the #1 and #2 traffic lanes," Monks said.   

According to its website, Walnut-Calif.-based Sina offers charter services for Pala. 

The bus was the only crash vehicle, Corona Fire Chief John Medina confirmed.

Click here for more on the crash.

When asked for comment, Sina Coach has declined to provide a statement.

The Press-Enterprise reported Sina Coach has been cited twice in the past two years for violations, including for having a non-English-speaking driver and for having a driver who could not understand highway traffic signs.

California Highway Patrol, Inland Division Major Accident Investigation Team, conducted an on scene investigation of Thursday's wreckage and has stored the bus as evidence in order to conduct a full mechanical inspection, Monks reported.

Earlier Thursday, an RTA commuter bus crashed on SR-74. Click here for that report.

Also, a tour bus crash Thursday afternoon on the southbound 15 Freeway in the Pala Mesa area left one dead and dozens injured.Click here for that report. Taylor confirmed the Pala Mesa crash did not involve Pala Casino.