CHINO HILLS, Calif., Nov. 14 (UPI) — A fiery crash early Sunday morning between a charter bus carrying a college basketball team and a Volkswagen Jetta resulted in one death and both vehicles going up in flames, police say.
The bus carrying the San Diego Christian College’s basketball team was hit by a Volkswagen Jetta, which went up in flames that spread to the bus, and police said the man driving the Jetta died after being pulled from the burning wreckage. Nobody on the bus was injured in the crash.
The San Diego basketball team was on its way back from a game at California State University-Bakersfield just before 1:30 a.m. when the Jetta hit the back of the bus and caught fire.
“There was a bystander, another motorist was driving by and stopped,” Chino Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Stewart told KTLA-TV. “Pulled the driver out of the automobile before it was consumed by fire, and the bus was just starting to ignite at that point.”
Although the 18 players and coaches on the bus made it off safely before flames spread from the burning Jetta to the charter bus, the man, 26-year-old Xujun Lu, died at the scene while being treated by paramedics.
Police say there is a good chance one or both of the vehicles were traveling at a high rate of speed. The crash is still under investigation.
