13 Injured in Santa Clarita Big Rig Crash Against Bus

SANTA CLARITA, CA (May 14, 2026) — A gravel-loaded semi-truck blew through a Santa Clarita intersection Wednesday morning and slammed into a city transit bus, two passenger cars, and a bystander’s sense of safety, leaving 13 people injured — one of them fighting for their life.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a semi-truck hauling a full load of gravel was traveling down Golden Valley Road toward the intersection at Centre Pointe Parkway when the driver approached a yellow light. What followed was a split-second decision that investigators say may have made everything worse.

If you or a loved one was injured in the Santa Clarita bus and big rig crash on May 13, 2026, contact our office for a free consultation. Time matters in cases involving commercial vehicle accidents.

According to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the driver may have been traveling as fast as 70 mph — well above the posted 50 mph speed limit — when he attempted to make a right turn to avoid running the red light. That maneuver sent the truck crashing into a Santa Clarita Transit bus and two additional passenger vehicles. 

The result was the kind of scene that stops people cold.

“When you look at it, it looks like a scene from Universal CityWalk,” said Capt. Brandon Barclay of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. 

Aerial footage from KTLA’s Sky5 told the same story: the heavily damaged transit bus was pushed up onto a curb, the semi-truck overturned nearby, and another vehicle appeared pinned beneath the front right side of the bus. 

Witness Mel Buckley had just pulled into a gym parking lot nearby when the collision happened. “I see the bus crash into the sidewalk and behind that truck, and the truck started having smoke,” he said. “A few seconds later, a woman was screaming, people were running into the bus and the back door wasn’t opening.” 

Santa Clarita Bus Crash Leaves One Critically Injured

The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed one person is in critical condition and 12 others suffered unspecified injuries. One passenger seated in the back of the bus had to be freed using the Jaws of Life and remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. Seven more people were transported to area hospitals. Five others declined treatment at the scene — though anyone involved in a crash of this magnitude should be evaluated by a physician regardless of how they feel in the moment. Adrenaline masks pain. Symptoms from trauma, whiplash, and internal injuries often don’t surface until hours or even days later. 

Big Rig and Bus Crash Investigation in Santa Clarita

Based on their preliminary investigation, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department does not believe the driver of the semi-truck was under the influence. The emphasis there is on preliminary. The investigation remains open and active, and the cause of the crash has not been formally determined.

What investigators do have is a speed problem. The speed limit on Golden Valley Road is 50 mph. If the truck was traveling at 70 mph — as investigators believe is possible — the driver was exceeding that limit by 40 percent on a road with regular commercial and residential traffic. 

Former Santa Clarita bus driver Darryl Richardson, who saw the aftermath, put it plainly. “I know how a person feels to see a big old truck coming right at you,” he said. “Thank God if it had broadsided the driver, we’d be talking about a different conversation right now.”

He’s not wrong. The fact that the bus driver wasn’t killed is notable given the size and weight of a fully loaded gravel truck.

Road Closures Snarled the Valley for Hours

The City of Santa Clarita said road closures around the crash scene were expected to continue for several hours as deputies investigated the scene. All directions of Centre Pointe Parkway between Golden Valley Road and Ruether Avenue remained closed Wednesday afternoon, and eastbound Golden Valley Road was shut down from Robert C. Lee Parkway to Centre Pointe Parkway.

For those who live and commute through the Santa Clarita Valley, the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Centre Pointe Parkway sits in a busy commercial and residential corridor. This wasn’t a remote highway interchange — it was a working intersection in the middle of a community.

What Injured Victims Should Do Now

Crashes involving commercial trucks — particularly those hauling heavy loads — are legally and medically complex. A fully loaded gravel truck can weigh 80,000 pounds or more. The forces involved in a collision of that kind are categorically different from a standard car accident.

If you or someone you know was on that bus, in one of the passenger vehicles, or was otherwise injured in Wednesday’s crash, there are several things you should do immediately.

Seek medical attention now, not later. Even if you walked away from the scene, injuries from high-impact collisions — including traumatic brain injury, spinal damage, and soft tissue trauma — may not be immediately apparent.

Document everything. Photographs, medical records, witness names, and any communications with insurance companies all matter.

Understand who may be liable. In crashes involving commercial vehicles, liability can extend beyond the driver to include the trucking company, the truck’s owner, the company that loaded the cargo, and potentially others depending on the facts of the investigation. Speed, load weight, and brake condition are all factors that attorneys investigate in cases like this.

Consult a personal injury attorney before speaking with any insurance company. Insurers representing commercial carriers are experienced at minimizing claims. Victims rarely are.

The investigation into Wednesday’s crash is ongoing. The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station continues to examine what led up to the collision. As more facts emerge, the legal picture for those injured will become clearer — but the window for preserving evidence and protecting your rights begins now.