Casino: Crashed bus not expected

The news of Sunday’s deadly bus crash quickly spread through Colusa Casino Resort, where employees often get to know the charter regulars out of the greater Sacramento area and the Bay Area.

The casino was not expecting another bus, but it is not unusual for unscheduled charters to show up.

“The people who do come on bus tours often become like family and everyone is concerned about the bus crash,” said Don Kennedy, director of marketing for Colusa Casino Resort.

Kennedy said the casino, located on Highway 45 about 3 miles north of Colusa, gets about 150 chartered buses each month, and sometimes as many as 200.

“We were off schedule for arrivals and departures, and we have not heard from any of our bus companies that a bus was coming,” Kennedy said.

That uncertainty only makes the concern among the staff that much more tense.

“That is the difficult part for us,” Kennedy said.

As the death toll started to rise from three to five, then seven to 10, the concerns at the casino rose with them. The CHP later revised the death toll to eight.

“The Colusa Casino Resort is stunned and saddened by this tragic bus accident that has resulted in several deaths and serious injuries to people who were coming to our facility,” a prepared statement from the resort released early today stated.

“Our prayers and sympathies go out to all of the passengers, their families and anyone else who may have been affected by this accident.”