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.

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]

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. .

Federal safety officials have said that in the Nissan situation, the wiring that holds the airbags in place may wear down enough to interrupt the signal to deploy the airbags. It appears from this preemptive action, Nissan has learned from the mistakes Toyota made and is erring on the side of caution and consumer safety.

Reasons for Louisiana’s increase may include the brief absence of a motorcycle safety program offered by the state. An estimated 2000 people took the course when offered by the Department of Education. Other reasons include a longer riding season than states with harsher seasonal weather and a higher number of alcohol-related motorcycle deaths.

Motorist also have to keep a vigilant outlook for the much smaller motorcycle. Increased awareness of approaching motorcycles and the elimination of distractions such as text messaging and cell phone will help the driver of a car visualize the motorcycle before it is too late to avoid a crash.

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 good news is that the relatively quick response reflects Toyota’s promise to respond faster to safety concerns after being accused by federal investigators of dragging its feet on recalls to address faulty gas pedals. Toyota was fined a record $16.4 million by the U.S. Transportation Department as a result. The bad news is that yet another Toyota model is now suspected of having serious safety issues and adds to the blow its reputation has already taken. Lexus will provide a loaner car for any customer who purchased a 2010 GX460 and is concerned about the safety of driving the vehicle. Customers can call 800-255-3987 for more information.

Toyota has a long way to go to regain consumer confidence after the recent recall of millions of its vehicles after reports of numerous accidents, injuries and deaths involving faulty accelerators. Toyota’s CEO admitted the company had lost focus on safety during its unprecedented growth. Profit should never come at the expense of innocent victims relying on the safety of the products they purchase.

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.

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 safety groups have suspended their legal challenge of the hours of service rules which include the number of driving hours and on duty time of a truck driver. The groups, including Public Citizen, Advocates for Auto and Highway Safety and the Teamsters Union, were challenging the rules on several grounds, asserting for example that they permit too much driving time resulting in sleepy and fatigued commercial motor vehicle drivers at risk for wrecks.  Under the agreement, DOT has until next summer to draft a new proposed rule, and until the following summer to publish a final rule.

Their minivan was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler, which according to an eyewitness, was speeding at the time. The minivan was pushed off the highway. The two vehicles got entangled and plowed through trees and ended up in a swamp.

When an 80,000 pound speeding 18-wheeler crushes a passenger vehicle, the truck just has too much size and weight. The Motoring public beware, the trucking transport industry wants to increase 18-wheeler’s size and weight to 97,000 pounds across the country.

Last year, 20 people were killed and 1,007 were injured in crashes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. A nationally funded campaign running through January 3, 2010 is providing overtime grants to State Police and 80 local enforcement agencies to do special DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission. The motoring public needs to slow down, have patience, and no texting.

Keep a distance from 18-wheelers and leave yourself adequate time to observe dangers and react. No drinking and driving. One drink has been shown to alter your reaction time. That one holiday drink may be the difference between you avoiding a crash and getting into a crash. People who witness aggressive or impaired driving should call *LSP (*577) from their cell phone or call their local law enforcement agency.