Bus crash victims' families settle out of court

DALLAS -- Eleven of the companies and individuals sued by the families of victims in the 2008 Texas bus crash that killed 17 people on their way to a religious retreat in Missouri have agreed to out-of-court settlements, according to a recent court order.

The order, signed by State District Judge Caroline Baker of Houston on June 13, states that settlements have been reached with the operator of the charter bus company, the company that inspected the bus before the trip and the firm that retreaded the blown-out tire that caused the crash. The financial terms were not revealed.

The settlements mean only six defendants remain in the complicated litigation that accuses multiple parties of negligence and involves more than 160 plaintiffs, including relatives of the deceased as well as those on the bus who were injured.

The suits have been consolidated in court.

Fifty-five members of Houston's Vietnamese Catholic community were en route to an annual conclave in Missouri when the bus plunged over a highway bridge near Sherman, 60 miles north of Dallas, on Aug. 8, 2008.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the crash, one of the worst in U.S. history, was caused when the retreaded tire on the right front axle was punctured by an unknown object.

Although the retread itself wasn't the cause, the panel noted that the tire was affixed to the front axle illegally, that the charter operator didn't have the authority to leave Texas and that the company that inspected the bus wasn't equipped to judge whether it was roadworthy.