Lawyer: Driver in fatal Oregon bus crash was rested

The driver of a Canadian travel company bus that crashed and killed 9 passengers in Oregon last month had slept for more than seven hours the night prior to the accident, a company attorney said Wednesday.

Attorney Mark Scheer’s comments come a day after the U.S. Department of Transportation revoked Vancouver, British Columbia-based Mi Joo Tour &Travel’s authority to provide passenger service in the United States after determining a driver was not properly rested when his bus crashed.

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration investigation found that driver Haeng Kyu Hwang had been on duty for 92 hours in the eight-day stretch before the tragedy, exceeding the 70-hour federal limit.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“I can specifically say that he had seven and a half hours of sleep when they left the morning of the accident,” Scheer said.

Scheer didn’t address the federal report on Wednesday beyond saying the company had “concerns about the accuracy” of it. The attorney added that black ice was a “significant” factor in the bus losing control on an Oregon highway and bursting through a railing. Scheer said the bus had already made a stop the morning of the crash.

Thirty-eight people were injured. Most of the passengers in the bus heading to Boise, Idaho, were Korean.

Scheer said the driver was seriously injured in the crash, but has been cooperating with investigators. The driver is back in Vancouver.

“Mr. Hwang is a licensed driver. Mr. Hwang had previously worked as a school bus driver and truck driver with no accidents,” Scheer said. “He was in good health and he doesn’t use alcohol or tobacco.”

Scheer said Mi Joo Tour &Travel has no history of passenger injuries and continues to cooperate with authorities and has set up a helpline for passengers and their family members, including interpretation help.

The Oregon State Police and National Transportation Safety Board have yet to say what caused the Dec. 30 crash on Interstate 84 east of Pendleton.

The crash, Oregon’s deadliest since 1971, occurred near a spot called Deadman Pass, at the top of a steep, seven-mile descent from the Blue Mountains. A truck had applied sand to the icy road a few hours before the crash and was behind the bus making another run when the vehicle driven by Hwang plowed through a guardrail and 200 feet down an embankment.

On Tuesday, federal authorities also said the company’s authority to operate had been suspended for two months early last year because the firm didn’t pay a fine for failing to meet U.S. requirements for drug and alcohol testing.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Sound Transit approves contract to build Bothell bus facility

The 365,000-square-foot facility will be the heart of the agency’s new Stride bus rapid transit system, set to open in 2028.

One dead in Everett crash involving motorcycle and two vehicles

Police shut down the 10300 block of Evergreen Way in both directions during the multi-vehicle collision investigation.

Katie Wallace, left, checks people into the first flight from Paine Field to Honolulu on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Executive order makes way for Paine Field expansion planning

Expansion would be a long-range project estimated to cost around $300 million.

A person pauses to look at an art piece during the Schack Art Center’s 50th anniversary celebration on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett to seek Creative District designation

The city hopes to grow jobs in the creative sector and access new grant funds through the state label.

Former Herald writer Melissa Slager’s new book was 14-year project

The 520-page historical novel “Contests of Strength” covers the 1700 earthquake and tsunami on Makah lands.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.