San Diego
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The cause of a bus accident that injured 10 Marines and the civilian driver was blamed on a tire bead, Cmdr. Ed Coss of the CHP’s motor carrier safety unit said Friday.
The bead is at the edge of the tire where it meets the rim. Coss said it is highly unusual for the bead to fail and a defective bead is not visible during inspection.
John Davis, also of the California Highway Patrol, said the bus was thoroughly inspected in June and everything was satisfactory.
Just two days before the Monday crash, he said, the four rear tires were replaced and, because of “neglect or ignorance” by the mechanic, the two front tires were not.
The shuttle bus was transporting 16 Marines from Lindbergh Field to Camp Pendleton when the front tire blew out and the bus went off the shoulder of Interstate 5, north of Clairemont Drive.
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