Authorities Investigate Minn. Tour Bus Crash

AUSTIN, Minn. - A tour bus crashed and rolled over on Interstate 90 near Austin, Minnesota late Wednesday afternoon, killing at least two people and injuring others.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, about 23 people were onboard the Strain Bus Line Motorcoach Tours bus, when it crashed and rolled in the westbound lane of I-90, about two miles west of Austin.

The State Patrol confirmed two deaths in the crash. Pamela S. Holmquist, 56, of Kasson, Minn. and Rhonda R. Hill, 52 , of Plainview, Minn., died in the crash.

According to a spokesperson for Strain Bus Line Motorcoach Tours, driver Edwin W. Erickson , 52 , of Elgin Minn., had an aneurysm in his chest which caused the bus to crash.

The Minnesota State Patrol wouldn’t confirm the aneurysm, but said one factor being considered is whether the driver suffered a medical episode while behind the wheel. Investigators say they have spoken to the driver, but say getting through privacy laws to attain medical records will likely take time.

Captain Matt Langer of the State Patrol said the focus of the investigation Thursday was to speak with everyone on board the bus and any witnesses to the crash. The State Patrol also began the commercial vehicle inspection effort on both the bus and the bus company.

“Investigations like this case take a great deal of time to complete given the number of people involved, and the intricate nature of conducting a thorough post-crash commercial vehicle inspection of the motor coach involved in this crash,” Langer said.

While at this point, there's no indication of a problem with the bus, five years ago, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered the bus company to cease operating because of safety concerns.

The bus was a weekly Wednesday casino coach that picks up passengers from Rochester, Byron, Kasson and Blooming Prairie. The bus was returning from Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood, Iowa. 18 passengers were signed up to ride.

I-90 was shut down in both directions, with traffic significantly backed up follwoign the crash.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Strain Bus Line Motorcoach Tours out of Rochester, Minnesota has not had a fatal crash for the past two years. The company did have a higher than average number of buses taken out of service after inspections. The national average is 22.27 percent, and Strain had an out of service percentage of 60 percent.

Five years ago, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered the bus company to cease operating because of safety concerns.

The full list of deaths and injuries from Minnesota State Patrol:

• Beverly Cooper, 78, Rochester
• Richard Cooper, 83, Rochester
• Prem Deep, 87, Rochester
• Russell Denzer, 57, Mohave Valley, Ariz.
• Helen Eubank, 80, Rochester
• Alice Greene, 72, Rochester
• Maurice Greene, 72, Rochester
• Betty Holmquist, 82, Kasson
• Earl Kesler, 73, Rochester
• Mary Kesler, 74, Rochester
• Adele Larson, 85, Rochester
• Leon Markham, 78, Mantorville
• Virginia Markham, 75, Mantorville
• Janice Murphy, 72, Rochester
• Betty Prigge, 77, Byron
• Joyce Sievert, 76, Kasson
• Ardell Swenson, 71, Austin
• Helen Wilde, 66, Byron
• James Wilde, 66, Byron

One passenger not injured in the crash was David Prigge, 76, of Byron.