Amtrak bus driver dies on I-80 in Sierra Nevada mountains while transporting passengers, CHP says

Ishani Desai
·1 min read
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An Amtrak bus driver carrying passengers on Interstate 80’s Donner Pass died Wednesday after suffering a medical emergency, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers were called just after 9:10 a.m. to reports of a bus parked near the right shoulder of westbound I-80 and the Donner Pass Road off-ramp, according to the CHP’s incident log.

The bus driver had pulled over to a snowbank and suffered a medical emergency, said Officer Carlos Perez, a spokesman for the CHP’s Truckee office. The man suffered a heart attack, said Dan Rodriguez, a spokesman with Coach USA, which owns the bus and employed the man.

“We are very saddened by this,” Rodriguez said, while later adding “It’s an unfortunate and tragic situation.”

Rodriguez said the six passengers on board attempted to resuscitate the driver, who had only joined the company in September.

The Truckee Fire Protection District was called to the scene and began to render medical aid, as well. The man was pronounced dead, Perez said.

Perez said no injuries were reported among the passengers, who were later shuttled to their destinations.