Woman dies, 21 injured in bus crash on Interstate 40

The injured passengers were transported to area hospitals, a San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman said. Eight were severely injured, and 13 others suffered minor to moderate injuries. One passenger was unharmed.

Faith Creer, 31, of Los Angeles, died at the scene, said a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County coroner's office. Creer was ejected from the bus when it veered from the highway into the dirt median, fell on its side and skidded 100 feet, said Officer Taj Johnson, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

The identities of the other 21 people on the bus have not been released, but fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said they boarded the charter at Fox Hills Mall in Culver City. The bus was operated by Royal American Tours & Charter of Glendale, she said. Company officials could not be reached for comment.

A CHP spokesman said the passengers were from the West L.A. area and appeared to be mostly African American.

Six passengers are being treated at Loma Linda University Medical Center, including four who were airlifted there, a hospital official confirmed. Two are at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, one listed in critical condition, the other in stable condition. Three are at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley.

Three other passengers treated for minor injuries at Colorado River Medical Center in Needles were expected to be released today.

The crash occurred just before 11 a.m. on the eastbound lanes of I-40 in an isolated stretch of desert three miles east of Ludlow. The bus was found on its side with no flat tires, officials said.

"It's pretty torn up. It was laying on the driver's side. The front windshield was out," said Martinez, who was at the scene. Six helicopters and nine ambulances transported the passengers, including engines from Fort Irwin and a nearby Marine base. The eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed and traffic was diverted to side roads, Martinez said.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the one-vehicle accident.

In December 2005, a Royal American Tours bus filled with passengers burst into flames on Interstate 10 on its way to a casino in Indio, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The bus was destroyed, but no passengers were injured, the newspaper reported.

Royal American Tours, founded in 2002 by Madanyan Enterprises Inc., transports passengers for tour operators, employers, casino trips, senior centers and other groups, according to the company website.

deborah.schoch@latimes.com