Casino, retail workers injured in LV bus crash

A bus carrying Primm casino and retail shop employees crashed on Interstate 15 Sunday night, sending dozens of injured passengers to area hospitals, including four who were in critical condition, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Highway Patrol trooper Kevin Honea said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

It occurred about 6:55 p.m., while the bus was northbound on the highway near St. Rose Parkway. Honea said that for unknown reasons, the bus veered toward the highway's cement divider, hit a metal guard rail and stopped in the median.

"The bottom of the bus was completely ripped off," Honea said. "There were tires everywhere."

Emergency responders at the scene said as many as 29 people were taken to area hospitals. The four individuals who suffered critical injuries were transported to the trauma unit of University Medical Center.

Honea said he didn't know how fast the bus was traveling at the time of the crash. He said he has never seen an accident that injured so many people during his five years on the job.

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Scott Allison said just four bus passengers escaped injury. Allison said the bus driver might have been one of the four people critically injured.

Allison said the bus belongs to AWG Charter Services of Las Vegas.

"There were a lot of cuts," Allison said. "A lot of people were banged up. We had a lot of what we call walking wounded."

I-15 southbound was completely open as of 10 p.m.

The accident reduced northbound travel to just one lane, Honea said.