At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Friday, December 27, 2024, multiple agencies responded to a major motor vehicle accident involving a semi-truck and a passenger bus on US Highway 77 in Victoria, Texas.
The bus was occupied by 19 immigration detainees and three guards from the GEO Group. Following the collision, nine of the detainees were transported by EMS to DeTar and Citizens Medical Center for treatment. The remaining 10 detainees were transported to the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office, where they were held until the GEO Group arranged for a transport bus to retrieve them.
First responders from the Victoria Fire Department, Victoria Police Department, Quail Creek and Raisin Volunteer Fire Departments, Victoria County Sheriff’s Office, Victoria County Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived on the scene to find significant damage to both vehicles.
In total, 10 individuals were transported to local hospitals, including one critically injured passenger who had been trapped inside the bus. Emergency personnel worked quickly to extricate the individual, who was stabilized before transport. One additional passenger, who was uninjured, was transported away from the crash site along with others who declined hospital transport.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation into the crash.
Victoria County and City officials expressed gratitude to the numerous agencies involved, including the Golden Crescent Regional Medical Operations Center and EMS units from Goliad, Refugio, and Calhoun Counties, for their assistance in handling the large-scale response.
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