Today Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) spoke with Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and Dr. Rob Molloy, director of NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety, about last weekend’s charter bus crash on U.S. Highway 83 north near Laredo that killed eight people and injured 44 others, some from the 28^th Congressional District, including La Joya in Hidalgo County.

“This afternoon I spoke with Christopher Hart, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Dr. Rob Molloy, director of NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety, regarding the agency’s investigation into Saturday’s tragic bus crash in Webb County. They provided me with general information on the investigation process and informed me that their investigation is now underway to determine probable cause and could take a year to complete. NTSB has a team consisting of eight investigators, including one lead investigator, along with a transportation disaster assistance specialist who will coordinate local agencies in their efforts to support victims’ families.

“The NTSB investigators will work with officials from the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), local officials, and the operator to examine a number of factors including: highway factors, survival factors, human performance, vehicle factors, motor carrier issues and determine probable cause of the crash. The investigation team will publish its findings and recommendations for how to prevent this from happening again, although it may choose to make interim recommendations before the investigation has concluded.

“Once again, I thank Chairman Hart and Dr. Molloy for reaching out to me and my staff so quickly and for their diligence and responsiveness on this matter. I will continue to monitor the investigation as it progresses, and I offer my condolences to all those who lost their lives this weekend and to their loved ones.”