Driver in tour bus crash had earlier accident

SOLEDAD, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say the America driver of a bus carrying French tourists was among the five people killed when the vehicle overturned on a highway overpass in central California.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Wiest said Wednesday that the driver was one of at least three people ejected from the bus who fell 60 to 70 feet to the street below. The patrol previously said the driver survived.

Three victims died at the scene Tuesday along U.S. 101 in Soledad, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco. Two were pronounced dead at hospitals.

The patrol has not released any victims' names. A total of 36 people were on board, including 34 French tourists, their Canadian tour guide and the driver.



SOLEDAD, Calif. (AP) — Police reports show that the driver of a tour bus that crashed in central California, killing himself and four others, struck a woman in a Las Vegas crosswalk a little more than three years ago.

The Monterey County Coroner's office on Wednesday identified the bus driver as 69-year-old John Egnew of Corona.

Cmdr. Scott Ragan says Egnew died of head and neck injuries after he was thrown from the bus, which overturned Tuesday on a freeway overpass in Soledad.

In the 2005 accident, Egnew admitted not seeing 71-year-old Joan Smith of Delton, Mich., before the bus he was driving hit her.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Could Madonna Sue Paparazzi for Horse Accident?

by Leslie Gornstein

You assume Madonna isn't lying. You know, lying? The way she denied through her flack getting a divorce or adopting a baby or dating A-Rod? Camp Madonna isn't exactly known for verity, Abe. In fact, at least one snapper, one paper and one cop say there were no paparazzi in or near the bushes when Madge's horse got spooked.

"She has to prove that that the reporter's action was the connection to her injury," attorney Robin Bond tells me. In other words, "that if the reporter would not have jumped out, the horse would not have spooked...She could even get money for pain and suffering."

Then again, she may not want to. A court case could cast Madonna as a litigious, greedy bully just when she needs to look maternal for an adoption judge in Malawi.

"My initial reaction was, no, she should not sue," attorney Andrew Weinstein tells me.

"From what I have read, her injuries are relatively minor and, if that is the case, the value of her claim would be low."

But let's just suppose Madonna is making sense for once. In that case, the leaping paparazzo just might have to watch his wallet...

If she can prove that the paparazzo's pirouetting caused her horse to start, she can, and even should, sue, attorneys and judges say.

"I would do a lie-detector test on Madonna first, and if she passed it I would show it to everybody," TV judge David Young tells me. Sure, Madge doesn't need money for medical bills, but "if Madonna takes a stand against the paparazzo that could be financial ruin forever for him. That could send a message."

Exactly what would Madonna have to prove?