Public officials told NBC News that the 18-wheeler sideswiped one school bus and hit another head-on, though an official report has not been released.

The buses were transporting high school seniors from Choctaw County, Mississippi on a class trip to Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.  Two teachers and the driver of the 18 wheeler are believed to have been killed in the wreck.

The cause of the crash in under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, FAA and Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The crash left one 18-wheeler demolished, the second 18-wheeler was pushed into four-wheel vehicles and the third 18-wheeler exited the highway and ended up in the woods. One 18-wheeler driver had to be cut from the cab of the wrecked big rig.

Eastbound lanes of I-20 were closed while crews cleaned up the debris and leaked diesel fuel. The wreck caused a huge traffic back-up on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-20 near Shreveport.

According to The Associated Press, “Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the Air Evac helicopter crashed at about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday near the Scotland community in Van Buren County.”

As further details emerge we will update this blog.

The 18-wheeler, marked with the company name Texas International Express LLC, was traveling north about 5 miles north of Pearl River when its front left tire blew out, said Trooper Nick Manale, spokesman for State Police Troop L. The driver, Juan Torres, 37, of Montgomery, Texas, lost control of the rig, and the tractor-trailer rumbled across the median and struck the southbound pickup nearly head-on, police said. After impact, the pickup and 18-wheeler slid off the highway, coming to a halt in the treeline on the west side of the interstate, Manale said.

Troopers specializing in vehicle inspection were brought in to determine whether the 18-wheeler had all of the required equipment and whether that equipment was properly installed, police said. Federal Motor Carrier SafetyRegulations require an 18-wheeler driver to perform a pre-trip inspection and a end of the day report. A driver cannot operate a commercial motor vehicle until he has inspected his equipment including the tires for good working order.

§392.7 Equipment, inspection and use.

No commercial motor vehicle shall be driven unless the driver is satisfied that the following parts and accessories are in good working order, nor shall any driver fail to use or make use of such parts and accessories when and as needed:

Service brakes, including trailer brake connections.
Parking (hand) brake.
Steering mechanism.
Lighting devices and reflectors.
Tires.
Horn.
Windshield wiper or wipers.
Rear-vision mirror or mirrors.
Coupling devices.

[33 FR 19732, Dec. 25, 1968, as amended at 60 FR 38746, July 28, 1995]

Congressional investigators have found that the BOP suffered from leaking hydraulic fluid, a dead battery and an inadequate design. “The answer is no,” Salazar said in response to a pointed question from about the government standards on the device. “I think there is additional work that should have been done on blowout preventers.”

Blowout preventers are massive devices that sit at the top of a well and are designed to slam pipes shut in the event of an emergency. However, they cannot shear thick sections of pipe.

A House investigation found last week that the device on the Deepwater Horizon suffered from multiple problems that may have prevented it from working correctly a mile beneath the Gulf. The U.S. Government is now a defendant in the oil spill litigation. The National Law Journal reports, “As lawsuits over the BP oil spill mount, a group of conservationists and fishermen have a new target: the US Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service. A lawsuit has been filed in federal court against the federal agency.

The suit — Gulf Restoration Network and Sierra Club v. Salazar — charges that the agency violated federal law by exempting oil companies that drill in the Gulf of Mexico from disclosing blowout and worst-case spill scenarios as well as plans for dealing with them before approving the companies’ offshore drilling plans.

Preliminary investigation suggest that an 18-wheeler with a flat bed trailer was pulled over onto the shoulder of the road out of the lanes of traffic when an SUV that was proceeding east bound on the outside lane drifted off onto the shoulder and rear ended the 18-wheeler. The two occupants inside the SUV sustained life threatening injuries. The female passenger was airlifted to LSUMC where she was later pronounced dead. Her name has not yet been released pending notification of her family. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not injured.

The investigation should include why the 18 wheeler was on the shoulder of the interstate. Was it creating a danger for motorist? Did the 18 wheeler driver properly display warning devices for a his tractor/trailer on the shoulder? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Part 392.22: “Emergency signals; stopped commercial motor vehicles”  require the 18-wheeler driver to take immediate steps to protect the motoring public. .

DPS reports that the driver of an 18-wheeler approached the construction zone and failed to slow down and ended up barreling through six vehicles before running off the road. Was the 18-Wheeler exceeding hours of service? Fatigued? Texting or email?

A total of 10 people were reportedly involved in the accident and 3 of the 10 were taken to an area hospital with what’s being described as serious injuries. Texas DPS reports that the three transported were in the first vehicle hit by the 18-wheeler.

Clearly the economy played a large role in the decline of motorcycle deaths in 2009. A study by the National Governors Conference cautions against putting too much stock in the national decrease as there is much more work that needs to be done to improve motorcycle safety.

The State of Louisiana suspended its motorcycle-safety program, the Motorcycle Safety Awareness and Operator Training Course, for the last six months of 2009 for budgetary reasons. An estimated 2,000 people per year took the course offered by the Department of Education. Louisiana law does not require any special motorcycle endorsement for a driver’s license. Louisiana traditionally ranks higher in the number of alcohol-related motorcycle crash deaths compared to the rest of the country. With only a helmet and leather to protect them from injury, motorcyclists are generally considered more vulnerable in crash studies.

The cause of the fire has not been determined but an investigation will be carried out according to the Coast Guard . The Coast Guard advised that four helicopters, four boats and a plane were helping in the search. This tragic accident reminds us of the dangers that offshore workers face every day as they work providing us with energy-producing oil and gas.

We pray for the workers and their families, especially for those who have been injured, and we pray that the missing workers are safe and soon located.

Emergency rescuers could not get close because the flames were too hot. The police officer and his cousin who was also killed were in the SUV. Investigators also mistook the SUV for a small car. Also killed were the drivers of the 18-wheelers. The driver of the broken down 18-wheeler on the shoulder was asleep in the cab and not injured. He was cited for failure to properly display warning devices for a disabled vehicle on the shoulder. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require the 18-wheeler driver to take immediate steps to protect the motoring public. Part 392.22: Emergency signals; stopped commercial motor vehicles.

In compiling the statistics, Reader’s Digest used the most recent federal data and measured highway and bridge conditions, congestion, and safety. There was good news in that states were found to be spending more money to build and maintain their roadways and, in fact, highway fatalities are decreasing. However, even with a decrease, more than 37,000 Americans died in automobile accidents in 2008. This number is more than double the number of people who die from homicides each year of which we are constantly reminded. Most of us are unaware of the vast number of automobile accidents that result in serious injuries, damages, and fatalities occurring as a result of defective roads.

In Louisiana, we constantly hear that our roads are bad because we do not have enough money for construction and repair. We also hear that same litany in regards to our educational system wherein we are told that our disproportionately high number of drop-outs and illiterate children stem from a lack of finances. It is time that we in Louisiana start prioritizing what is important to ourselves, our communities, and our state. We need to be pro-active and demand accountability for the roads and schools in our area and the state. We need to get involved as individuals and communities.

I have seen first-hand how one involved person can make a difference. I recently represented an individual in regards to a highway defect case in which the defendant driver, traveling from Texas through our state, hydroplaned into my client’s car, causing serious and permanent injuries to my client. After investigating the roadway, it was obvious that there were ruts in the highway and no proper runoff. Water accumulated in the ruts during wet weather. Further investigation revealed that there had been many accidents on that particular stretch of roadway. The roadway was simply defective, dangerous and in need of repair.

While roadways are expensive to repair, there are simple things that can be done to warn motorists and thereby reduce accidents and even fatalities. In this case, an individual who lived in the area sent an email to the individuals in charge of mending the roadway and advised of the dangerous condition of the roadway and his concern for not only his family but for anyone traversing the area. It was not long after that email that a warning sign was posted. While it was too late to help my client, there is no telling how many families have been spared, funerals have been put on hold, and serious injuries avoided as a result of that simple sign.

While sometimes a lawsuit puts entities on notice to make changes, it is usually instituted after damage has been done. When a citizen like you or me takes the time to notify someone of a problem, it can make a major difference. I therefore urge you to talk to your legislators and your local officials. Advise them of any dangerous roadways in your area and voice any ideas or recommendations you may have. Help Louisiana lose the title “Worst Roadways in America.”

I also encourage you to stand up and speak out on educational issues that affect our children and therefore our future in this state. As Dr. Seuss says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Reid’s wife was a passenger in her daughter’s van and suffered a broken neck, back and nose requiring surgical intervention. The crash occurred on a heavily traveled section of Interstate 95 in Fairfax County, VA, just South of Washington, D.C. According to a statement by the Virginia State Police, as Sen. Reid’s daughter was driving a 2005 Honda Odyssey, she began breaking for traffic, and the 18-wheeler struck the rear of her van and forced her into the rear of the car in front pushing the vehicle into the next lane, where it struck another vehicle.

P.A.M. is short for the company founder’s initials, but has also been reported to stand for “Pretty Awesome Mileage.” It has a fleet of about 1769 tractors and 4,500 trailers.

The FMCSA is currently holding public sessions regarding the hours of duty and drive time of an 18-wheeler driver on our highways. The result of these 80,000 pound big rig collisions, in the greater percentage of time, the people in the car are going to be seriously injured or killed.

Here the 18-wheeler took out 3 vehicles. The number of 18-wheelers on our highways seems to be increasing. Every time you are on the highway you find yourself next to an 18-wheeler. Safety of the motoring public require limitations on the duty and drive time hours of these big rig drivers to prevent fatigue, falling asleep at the wheel, and traveling to close between the car in front to stop and prevent a rear-end catastrophe.

We wish the Senator’s wife a speedy recovery.

The owner of the bus company, Cayetano Martinez of Los Angeles, had previously been shut down by FMCSA, only to attempt to “reincarnate himself as a new carrier” and unsuccessfully attempted to gain U.S. Department of Transportation operating authority under a new name. “Martinez has shown a persistency and determination to continue operating under new entities and business,” the complaint states. The consent decree also prohibits Martinez, or any affiliated company, “from contracting with or arranging for additional transportation of passengers unless the contracted motor carrier possesses valid operating authority registration from FMCSA.”

The safety of the motoring public and the bus passengers demand enforcement, shutting down, and removal of unauthorized motor carriers from the interstate roads before such a tragedy.

Here is the official press release from the FMCSA:

Illegal Interstate Bus Company Is Ordered to Cease All Operations Immediately FMCSA Obtains Emergency Action to Shut Down Carrier

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following an emergency request by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the United States District Court for the Central District of California on Saturday ordered the owner of Tierra Santa Inc, the illegal bus company involved in a March 5 fatal crash near Phoenix, Arizona, to immediately cease all interstate and international passenger service.

The carrier ceased operation on the evening of Friday, March 5 at the demand of FMCSA. Saturday’s order makes that shutdown enforceable by the Court.

FMCSA’s complaint states that the owner of the bus company, Cayetano Martinez of Los Angeles, had previously been shut down by FMCSA, only to attempt to “reincarnate himself as a new carrier” and unsuccessfully attempted to gain U.S. Department of Transportation operating authority under a new name.

“Martinez has shown a persistency and determination to continue operating under new entities and business,” the complaint states.

The consent decree also prohibits Martinez, or any affiliated company, “from contracting with or arranging for additional transportation of passengers unless the contracted motor carrier possesses valid operating authority registration from FMCSA.”

The consent decree does not absolve Martinez from possible future civil penalties by FMCSA for violations of federal motor carrier safety regulations.

“It is absolutely essential that unsafe carriers like this one be taken off the road,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Safety is our number one priority at the Department of Transportation and we will not rest until this accident has been fully investigated.”

“FMCSA investigators are working tirelessly so that we can prevent such a senseless loss of life from happening again,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “We thank the United States Attorney’s Office for their outstanding partnership in bringing this emergency action forward so quickly.”

The 18-wheeler driver then fled the scene headed toward Interstate 20. Surveillance video gave a clear picture of the red cab, white box trailer, the name “MegaTrux” on the side and damage on the big rig driver’s side. GPS was used to locate the truck and its driver in Alabama where authorities arrested the 18-wheeler driver.

Haz-mat crews worked all morning to clean up the spill. Gasoline broke down asphalt on a nearby road and then traveled downhill into a ditch where small fish died. I handle 18-wheeler truck accidents and routinely request preservation of electronic data such as video from surrounding surveillance cameras that may capture the wreck, electronic control module or black box data, driver logs, GPS, and all electronically stored information(ESI).