Tragedy at UC Santa Cruz:
In a tragic incident that occurred on December 12 of last year, an accident on the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) resulted in the death of Dan Stevenson, a campus bus driver. Stevenson, who had been working for the university since 2021 after 22 years with the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, was operating a shuttle bus with five passengers when the accident happened.
According to a statement issued by UCSC Police Chief Kevin Domby, Stevenson had made several campus loops without incident before the accident. Video footage shows that less than a minute before the crash, the bus’s lights, brakes, and steering were functioning properly as the bus made a right turn onto Coolidge Drive from Hagar Drive. The bus had passed a routine inspection by the California Highway Patrol 90 days before the accident and had undergone service on December 9, during which the brakes were adjusted and the brake pads were replaced.
The report also confirmed that Stevenson’s commercial driver’s license and medical certificate were valid at the time of the accident. Despite this, the bus veered off the right edge of the roadway, colliding with signposts, fencing, and the rock wall of a lime kiln, where it came to a stop. As a result, Stevenson suffered fatal injuries, and five passengers were treated for moderate to severe injuries.
The accident has raised concerns about the safety of the campus’s aging shuttle fleet, especially following a previous incident where a bus engine burst into flames. In response, the university has launched a safety audit of its bus fleet. The investigation, assisted by the CHP’s Coastal Division’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team, found no mechanical failures contributing to the crash. The final conclusion indicates that the accident was caused by the driver’s failure to adjust the steering adequately to navigate a left-hand curve.
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