Two shuttle buses collided at Zion National Park just before 1 p.m. Saturday and the incident is under investigation, said Amanda Rowland, the park’s public information officer.
“The good news is the driver maintained control, and there were no injuries,” Rowland said. “We are having limited shuttle service right now. It’s under investigation and our goal is as we know more, we’ll provide that information.”
In describing the crash, Rowland said one shuttle was parked at the bus stop near the park’s visitor center. The other shuttle entered the driveway, pulling up behind that first bus and “basically the bus then connected to the first bus.”
St. George resident Dana Braunberger, a passenger on one of the shuttles at the time, described the experience in an email to St. George News.
“My family and I were passengers on the shuttle that got smashed into from behind. I was the last passenger to get off the bus and 5 seconds or less later, we all heard a huge bang, and shrapnel flew in the road and up on the sidewalk,” Braunberger said. “The second shuttle was coming in way too hot for the bus stop and didn’t maneuver in time to avoid the crash.”
Braunberger said she checked on her shuttle driver to ask if she was OK and other than being rattled, she was fine. The other shuttle driver was clearly in shock and was “hysterically yelling that the accelerator was stuck and she couldn’t brake.”
Rowland said the situation is under investigation.
“As far as the mechanical issues, there’s no mechanical issues to report,” Rowland said.
Rowland said her office works with the shuttle contractor for any incidents and with park law enforcement rangers for all safety protocols.
“At this point, we’re still trying to have this situation under investigation, so that’s where we honestly are just trying to work through that right now,” she said. “We’re trying to step back and figure it out.”
Limited shuttle service will be available in Zion National Park and the town of Springdale until Wednesday, Aug. 21, as the park investigates the situation. Rowland stated that one bus will operate in Springdale rather than the usual two. Usually, 12 buses are operating in the park. She said this limited shuttle capacity could result in longer-than-usual waits at shuttle stops.
Click here for more updated information about the Zion National Park shuttle schedule.
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