A tour bus traveling to a Christmas theme park has been involved in a fatal collision in College Station, Texas, police say.
Facebook screenshot by KBTX reporter Rusty Suret
A tour bus traveling to a Christmas theme park in College Station, Texas, has been involved in an accident that has left one person dead, the park said.
The accident happened around 00:20 on Sunday, November 20 bus to santa’s wonderland “was hit by a wrong-way driver,” College Station employee David Simmons told WTAW.
Santa’s Wonderland said in a Facebook post that the driver crashed into the bus near the Post Oak Mall in College Station. The park called the incident “a huge tragedy.”
By the time the police arrived, the bus was on fire and rescue workers helped pull the driver out. police told KBTX. Two passengers of the bus were not injured.
Police said a tow truck driver who witnessed the crash pulled a passenger from the burning SUV before it became fully engulfed in flames, KBTX reported. The passenger with serious injuries was taken to the hospital, the TV channel reports.
The driver of the SUV, whose identity has not been released, could not be removed, Simmons told WTAW. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Santa’s Wonderland identified the bus driver as “longtime team member” Calvin Hill. He suffered “very, very serious injuries” and was taken to a Houston hospital, Simmons said.
“Our whole family at Santa’s Wonderland is praying for Calvin,” the theme park said. “We would like to express our deepest gratitude to those who were first on the scene.”
Hill is also the track and football coach at Rudder High School in Bryan, Texas, according to KBTX. U post on social media on Sundaythe school thanked “everyone for their prayers and support” for the coach.
Santa’s Wonderland is described as “the biggest Christmas attraction in the state of Texas.” Buses deliver visitors from the adjacent parking lot to the park.
