Bus driver who ignored Ariz. flood may be charged


July 29, 2013 at 5:00p.m.

Bus driver who ignored Ariz. flood may be charged

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities are looking into whether a tour bus driver bound for Las Vegas violated what’s popularly known as Arizona’s “Stupid Motorist Law,” when he drove into a flooded wash after a trip to the Grand Canyon’s west rim.

Flash flood waters swept the bus with 33 people aboard hundreds of yards down a northwestern Arizona wash Sunday. The vehicle flipped on its side, and the passengers escaped uninjured.

Mohave County sheriff’s spokeswoman Trish Carter said today that authorities are determining whether a law requiring that drivers pay for emergency response when they cross flooded areas applies in this situation.

The marketing manager for bus owner C.H. Destination in Las Vegas says charging the driver would be insulting because he wasn’t aware of the danger.