Overview

• The final report finds the truck driver failed to slow for a backup and struck an SUV before plowing into a motorcoach, igniting a fire that led to six deaths and 41 injuries.
• Investigators say the truck was traveling about 72 mph as nearby vehicles moved 3–15 mph, with no evasive braking or steering and no determined reason for the inattention.
• Contributing factors included the absence of an in-cab driver monitoring system, inadequate strategies to detect and communicate traffic queues, and inaccurate emergency-exit markings on the motorcoach.
• The NTSB issued eight new recommendations, urging federal guidance on queue management, performance standards for collision-avoidance systems, requirements for driver monitoring in heavy commercial vehicles, and tougher motorcoach interior and fire safety rules.
• ODOT has added cameras, queue-warning systems and limited variable speed zones, while broader variable speed use would require legislative approval; the truck driver was convicted in May and received an 18-month sentence with credit for time served.