1974 Blythe, California bus crash

Motor vehicle incident in California, United States October 2026 October 2026 1974 Blythe, California bus crash 33 33 34 N 114 42 34 W 1974 01 15 Intersection of 20th Avenue and Rannells Boulevard Blythe, California United States Jesus Ayala (contracted) Bus crash. Excessive speed. 1 47 19 28 A school bus-type vehicle carrying farm workers fell into a drainage canal near Ripley, California, southwest of Blythe, California, at approximately 6:30 a.m. PST before sunrise on January 15, 1974, killing 19 and injuring 28. Crash The 1955 GMC bus involved in the accident was owned by labor contractor Jesus Ayala and driven by Pablo Navarro Arellanos from the starting point of Calexico, California, bound to the intended destination of a High and Mighty Farms field, approximately 2-3 mi km away from the crash site.Nineteen die in bus crash Palo Verde Valley Times 1974-01-17 He was driving the bus at the intersection of 20th Avenue and Rannells Boulevard, posted with a speed limit of 20 mph kph, and missed a 90 degree turn, causing the bus to fall and rest its left side in a drainage canal.Drowned in 'prison of seats': 19 lettuce workers die in contractor bus massacre El Malcriado 1974-02-22 The seats loosened and careened to the front, contributing to the deaths of Arellanos and some passengers.Frank Bardacke Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers https://books.google.com/books?id=cHsnz5efcMQC&pg=PT311 9 October 2012 Verso Books 978-1-78168-067-4 311 Nineteen people were killed, officially due to drowning from water in the canal, and the remaining twenty-eight were injured. The reported depths of the water include 3-4 ft m on inside the bus and 10 ft m on.19 Laborers Die In Bus Crash https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19740116&id=gZkeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oswEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3167,18592&hl=en Daytona Beach Morning Journal 1974-01-16 Sources including a commentary by Cesar Chavez mention the deaths of family members including a father and his three teenage children.Chavez Cesar 'This Tragedy Happened Because of Greed' https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-aug-27-me-4246-story.html Los Angeles Times 1999-08-27 The majority of passengers in the bus were green card workers, and some were American citizens. Mexicali newspapers described the wrecked bus as a "wheeled coffin"; Chavez reportedly said the same on January 19 according to William T. Vollmann's book Imperial.William T Vollmann Imperial https://books.google.com/books?id=cTtQnoLDyogC&pg=PT799 30 July 2009 Penguin Publishing Group 978-1-101-10515-3 799 Most of the injured people were treated in Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe; one was treated in Loma Linda. Investigation Survivors and investigators attributed the high speed of the bus for causing the accident; the California Highway Patrol assumed the bus traveled between 50 mph kph and 55 mph kph towards the intersection, while the NTSB determines the speed to between 45 mph kph and 55 miles per hour. According to the Palo Verde Valley Times, no defects in the vehicle were reportedly found by the CHP. The UFW's El Malcriado publication stated that the CHP found mechanical defects.Blythe Bus Massacre Spurs Safety Bill El Malcriado 1974-04-17 The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that Arellanos' body had a blood alcohol content level of .03 percent, but the investigation could not determine when he drank.Excessive speed cited as cause of accident Palo Verde Valley Times 1974-01-24 The NTSB also determined that the high number of deaths was contributed by the flimsy anchorage system of the seats. Aftermath A funeral mass was held on January 19 in the National Guard Armory in Calexico and fundraised money aid for the victims. Chavez spoke that the accident happened because "of a farm labor system that treats workers like agricultural implements and not as important human beings."Cohen Andrew For Migrant Workers, Still the Harvest and the Shame https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/11/for-migrant-workers-still-the-harvest-and-the-shame/265457/ 2016-02-29 The Atlantic 2012-11-21 The accident prompted Chavez and the UFW to demand inspections and safer conditions on farm labor buses. Assemblyman Jack R. Fenton authored a bill, AB 2975, which would permit the California Labor Commissioner to rescind or refuse to renew a labor contractor's license due to failing to properly maintaining buses or employing an unlicensed driver. It would also require vehicle transporting farm workers to be inspected at least once a year and have drivers trained similarly to school bus drivers. As of the beginning of 1975, according to CHP Lt. Art Wilson, new state regulations imposed due to the accident included an annual inspection on farm labor buses by the CHP and safety certification, limits on labor bus driver working time, and requirements for working speedometers and odometers on the buses. A regulation for seat securement was scheduled to be enacted on April 1 that year.New laws result of accident Palo Verde Valley Times 1975-01-02 See also 1963 Chualar bus crash References External links NTSB Accident Report Category:1974 in California Category:1974 road incidents Category:Blythe, California Blythe, California bus crash Category:Organized events in Riverside County, California Category:Transportation disasters in California Category:January 1974 in the United States