Bus operator involved in crash has previous troubles

December 18, 2010

another bus crash involving the same company, in the same area, two years ago---almost to the day. 20 people were sent to the hospital after the "los paisanos" bus rammed into a cattle hauler near corona this morning. investigative reporter jeremy jojola was there an has more on the companys background. jeremy. in many strange ways---history repeats itself. we've covered the los paisanos bus company before after crash two years ago in the same area. we found numerous safety violations then from the chopper this morning we once again saw a los paisano's bus invovled in another crash in new mexico on highway 54-- state police say it hit a cattle hauler near the town of corona, shutting down the highway for hours. today 20 people were sent to the hospital, with non- lifethreatning injuries including the driver with a broken arm. but today was a lucky day compared to a similar los paisanos bus crash in the same area almost exactly two years ago. it was snowing, the roads were slushy then too, when the speeding driver lost control, tipping the bus over on 54. two women died.. we investigated the company and found numerous documented safety violations involning los paisanos buses, for things like bad tires, cracked axles, and false driver log books. we also found company drivers that racked up numerous speeding tickets in new mexico while driving buses. despite what we found then....the state of new mexico gave los paisanos a good safety rating. after today's crash, we can only wonder if the company has problem with bad drivers---or just bad luck. state police are still looking to see if today's crash was weather related. in the mean time, just this month, jury ordered los paisanos to pay 135 million dollars to a famil affected by a 2005 fatal crash in colorado. in that crash, attorneys say the bus had worn out tires and wasn't properly maintained.