The first lawsuit has been filed against the Vancouver-based tour bus company involved in a crash that killed nine people in Oregon last month.
That crash happened in poor weather conditions on a stretch of highway known for treacherous winter driving conditions.
The Coquitlam office of Mi Joo Tour and Travel remains locked up, a week after one of their buses veered off the northeast Oregon Interstate.
Two survivors, both Korean exchange students in Tacoma, have filed a lawsuit in Washington state, arguing it was the bus driver who was the problem. They allege he was driving while exhausted and driving too fast for the conditions.
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The allegation is that the driver had doubled as a tour guide, working 90 to 100 hours in eight days, when American federal law allows for 70 hours maximum.
The driver is also accused of ignoring signs warning of winter conditions.
A written statement from the company’s Portland lawyer doesn’t mention the legal action, but expresses condolences and says they’re fully cooperating with the investigation.
The lawsuit does not specify an amount to be claimed, citing the still undetermined extent of physical and emotional trauma.
One of the boys was knocked unconscious and both spent a night in hospital.
Many of the injured and families of deceased have ties to Canada, so there’s a possibility a lawsuit could end up before a judge north of border, but for now it’s proceeding in Washington.
The trial is set for early next year.
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