The cause of Wednesday’s tour bus accident has yet to be officially determined. Police spokeswoman Melody Rames said Thursday that once the cause is determined, police will take further action as necessary.
The Duckaneer, an amphibious tour bus, ran off the road Wednesday afternoon, rolling down a hillside by the Emerald Beach Resort, coming to a stop when it ran into a generator house on the property. There were no fatalities, and just one serious injury.
Speculation is high that the bus lost its brakes. However, there may be other mechanical explanations. For one thing, if the bus had hydraulic brakes, there should have been half the brake power left to control the vehicle, some have speculated.
Duckaneer owner Michael Baird said Wednesday, "I have a notion as to what caused the accident, and I can’t speculate at this point. Nobody was seriously hurt. The driver did an excellent job."
The driver is Sumner Hugh, Baird said, while not releasing the name of the other crew member.
Baird was effusive in his praise for the emergency management personnel.
"I totally commend the hospital and the emergency services at the scene yesterday," he said. "They did a fantastic job. I can’t commend them enough. For everybody that gives the police a hard time, yesterday they were wonderful."
Baird said he couldn’t comment on the future of his business, or the state of his vehicle, which was towed to an unnamed auto repair shop late Wednesday. He said the bus has had no other accidents.
Baird started the Duckaneer business in 2007 and has kept it going since.
Judith Wheatley, executive director of the V.I. Taxi Commission, said Thursday that the Duckaneer’s business license as a tour operator is current. She confirmed that the Duckaneer, like safari taxis and school buses, doesn’t have seat belts.
The Taxi Commission along with the U.S. Coast Guard assisted the emergency teams at the Emerald Beach parking lot Wednesday. It was a scene of almost unbelievable efficiency and organization from the minute the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) set up the triage station, until the last cruise ship passengers had been taken to the Schneider Regional Medical Center, or back to the Freedom of the Seas at the West Indian Co. dock.
No word was available from the hospital Thursday on the condition of the one woman who was detained at the hospital overnight with a fractured ankle.
