Shuttle bus mishap on Highway 50 sends 1 to hospital

An accident this morning involving a casino shuttle carrying 18 passengers on Highway 50 in Douglas County was reportedly caused by a mechanical problem, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol. The accident was reported at around 9:30 a.m. One person was transported to Carson Tahoe Hospital for unspecified claimed injuries.

Here is the news release by NHP Trooper Eric Gallagher:

Shuttle bus accident on US 50

At approximately 9:30 am on January 24th, 2012, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol were dispatched to an accident on US Highway 50 near mile marker Douglas 13 involving a Harrah’s shuttle bus transporting 18 passengers. This section of US 50 in Douglas County is a four-lane highway with east and west bound travel lanes separated by a concrete “K” rail and the posted speed limit is 50 miles per hour.

The information investigated so far indicates 57 year old Cynthia Hendrickson was operating the shuttle bus and was traveling eastbound on US50 in the #1 (fast) travel lane. Preliminary information indicates that the drive shaft of the 2000 Ford E450 broke which caused difficulty for the driver to maintain control of the vehicle. The bus rotated counter-clockwise and struck the concrete “K” rail with its left front. 1 of the passengers had unspecified claimed injuries and was transported to the Carson Tahoe Hospital by ground ambulance. Harrah’s dispatched another shuttle bus for the remaining passengers and transported them to the airport.