Aneurysm led to fatal bus crash, lawyer says

Neither Strain Bus Line's spotty safety record nor the driver's DUI played a role in the crash that killed two passengers and injured 20 others, the company attorney said.

By ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune

Last update: November 20, 2009 - 10:01 PM

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Neither the spotty safety record of Strain Bus Line nor the seven-year-old drunken driving conviction of its motor coach driver who veered off a Minnesota interstate on Wednesday is relevant to the crash that killed two passengers and injured 20 others, an attorney for the bus company said Friday.

Chicago-based attorney John Patton Jr. backed up previous reports from the bus company that driver Edwin Erickson, 52, suffered an aneurysm that caused him to lose consciousness at the wheel. The bus was returning from an Iowa casino when it veered across an Interstate 90 median and rolled over 2 miles west of Austin.

Pamela Holmquist, 56, of Kasson, Minn., and Rhonda Hill, 52, of Plainview, Minn., were killed. Erickson, of Elgin, Minn., and 19 others were injured.

State officials confirmed Thursday that Erickson was convicted in 2002 of misdemeanor drunken driving. In addition, Bold Lines, which does business under the name Strain Bus Line, had a bus taken out of service after roadside inspections as recently as October.

"Whether he did or did not have a DUI conviction has absolutely nothing to do with what happened several days ago in the accident," Patton said. "It's quite clear that he suffered an emergency medical event while driving the bus, and he's hospitalized for that."

As for the bus company, Patton said, "They're highly respected in the charter bus community and well-regarded by customers. Whatever else is being suggested ... has absolutely nothing to do with what happened in this accident. Furthermore, we believe that will be borne out by an investigation from authorities."

Authorities say the cause could take weeks to determine. They would not confirm reports that Erickson suffered an aneurysm and slumped at the wheel.

Patton said the aneurysm is the direct and only cause of the crash.

"The initial indication, pending information from his doctors, is that he suffered from an aneurysm causing him to become incapacitated behind the wheel of the bus," Patton said. "That fact is already confirmed by the passengers on the bus, that he suddenly became incapacitated while driving."

Erickson remains in intensive care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Patton said. Erickson had passed all Department of Transportation-mandated annual physicals for bus drivers.

The two surviving passengers who suffered the worst injuries are listed in serious condition at the Mayo Clinic -- an upgrade from critical condition Thursday night.

Patton said that while there would be no basis for criminal charges, it was too early to determine what civil litigation may take place on behalf of passengers and their families.

"I don't have a crystal ball, but this was an accident caused by an unexpected, unforeseeable medical emergency that could happen to anyone behind the wheel, whether it's a car, minivan or a bus."

Patton said the company offers its condolences to the families of the women who died in the crash and hopes for a speedy recovery for the injured.

Abby Simons • 612-673-4921