Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Traffic to Las Vegas backs up after fatal crash near Baker, Calif.

Interstate 15 crash

Denise Truscello/WireImage/DeniseTruscello.net

A tour bus and a pickup truck were involved in a crash Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, near Baker, Calif.

Updated Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013 | 7:51 p.m.

Cajon Pass

A fire on the Cajon Pass on Sunday afternoon blocked traffic on Interstate 15 for more than an hour. It was part of a busy afternoon. A wreck caused miles of congestion in Baker earlier in the day. Launch slideshow »

One person died and five people were injured Saturday in a collision involving a tour bus and a pickup truck on Interstate 15 near Baker, Calif.

The crash led to the closure of the northbound lanes for about two hours. One northbound lane of I-15 was reopened about 1 p.m., but traffic was still backed up in the late afternoon.

The truck crossed the median and collided with a northbound Eagle Tour bus, then caught fire, near Zzyzx Road about 10:40 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Officer Don Spiker.

MyNews3.com reported that the driver of the pickup was killed and that the bus driver suffered a leg laceration and was flown to University Medical Center. The bus driver was identified as Jimmy Ming Giang.

Four bus passengers suffered minor injuries and were transported to Barstow Community Hospital and later released, Spiker said.

Spiker said the Eagle Tours bus, which is stationed in El Monte, Calif., carried 29 tourists from China and a tour guide. The remaining passengers were taken to Las Vegas by another tour bus in the area.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.

Drivers coming over Cajon Pass also hit major delays caused by wildfires. The San Bernardino Sun reported that 100 to 150 acres were burning, slowing northbound I-15 around Highway 138.

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