Federal immigration authorities are monitoring the arrest of Denis Yasmir Amaya-Rodriguez, the 37-year-old Honduras man authorities say drove a bus that crashed into a fire truck Sunday (Aug. 28), killing two people – including St. John Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin – and injuring 33 others.
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The AP report says the bus was carrying dozens of flood relief workers from New Orleans to Baton Rouge when the crash happened.
All 24 were taken to area hospitals with “minor to moderate injuries”, she said.
The driver was Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, Matey said.
“This is a very a sad day for all first responders in Louisiana, ” said Col. Mike Edmonson, Commander of LA State Police.
The bus hit the fire truck, then hit a vehicle, and then veered behind the fire truck and into the pickup truck, knocking three firefighters who were standing near the guard rail into the water below, Matey said.
St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin was among those killed in the early morning crash after the chartered bus slammed into him as he tried to help victims of another accident, Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey told reporters at a news conference. But a search of for-hire and transportation licenses in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans did not turn up any licenses for Kristina’s or its trade name, AM Party Bus.
A fatal bus crash that claimed the life of a 21-year-old MS man and a Louisiana fire chief has had a heartbreaking development: the driver had illegally entered the United States from Honduras, and didn’t even have a driver’s license.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the initial crash involved a 2005 Nissan Titan, driven by 30 year old Javontris Lawson of Marrero, LA. Two other passengers in the Toyota Camry are said to be in serious condition.
Questions include whether the bus was in good fix and why it went out of control Sunday night, Trooper Melissa Matey said Monday.
St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom posted a statement on Facebook praising Chauvin, and calling the incident “heartbreaking”. Firefighter Nicholas Saale and Camry passenger Vontravous Kelly remain in critical condition.
The government of the Guangxi Autonomous Region said the accident occurred Sunday when the bus flipped over as it was approaching its final stop in the regional capital Nanning.
The road was wet from light rain, but troopers who are investigating the crash don’t know if weather was the main cause of the accident, Matey said.
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Rodriguez, who was also treated at a hospital, will be booked into the St. John the Baptist Correctional Center and charged with two counts of negligent homicide, reckless operation, and having no driver’s license, Matey said.
