A family who were traveling back from a Brad Paisley concert in Watsonville on Friday evening have described the events surrounding the tragic party bus accident that left a 25 year old woman dead. The accident, which occurred on Highway 17 near Los Gatos, killed Santa Cruz resident Natasha Noland instantly when she fell from the top deck of the party bus.
According to eye witness Roberta Dallimonti, who was driving home from the Paisley concert with a friend, her daughter Christina and her husband Richard, the accident scene was chaotic, with crowds rapidly forming and fighting between onlookers and the police.
The Dallimonti family were on the way home when they noticed a man frantically waving his hands in the air in the left most lane on the southbound Highway 17 near Los Gatos. Roberta Dallimonti, who was driving, pulled over to the shoulder to assess the scene.
When moving closer to the accident scene, Dallimonti noticed the body of Natasha Noland lying next to the man. She had apparently fallen off the bus on her way back from the same Brad Paisley concert. The man was later discovered to be Noland’s boyfriend. While Roberta and her daughter assisted the man and called 911, while Richard Dallimonti offered blankets from their car to a woman who was lying on the side of the road, apparently injured.
According to local police authorities, the incident occurred on a bus operated by the Party Bus of Santa Crus company, and there were around 15 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. The passengers were en route back from a concert that was held at Shoreline Amphitheatre on Friday evening.
The official report states that Noland got into a physical altercation with another woman on the bus. At approximately 11.50pm, the bus door flew open and both women were thrown from the moving bus onto the road. The bus, which was travelling at 45 mph, was unable to stop and ran over Noland, killing her instantly. The other woman, a 20 year old from Felton, sustained only minor injuries.
It is not clear as to the exact circumstances surrounding the incident, and what initiated the fight between the two women. As yet, no charges have been filed. The California Highway Patrol is currently investigating the incident and will report if the bus company in question or the surviving woman are found to be liable to Noland’s death.
Recent Update: In Chicago, a Megabus accident in Chicago has left 1 dead and dozens injured. Contact Zehl & Associates at 1 (888) 854-8989 for more details and assistance.