20 Hospitalized After Bus Returning From Church Camp Flips Over On Highway

A bus carrying 36 people rolled over on a mountain highway Sunday night, sending 20 to hospitals after the group left a youth retreat in Southern California.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department (SBCFD) dispatched crews at 8:51 p.m. to State Route 330 near the community of Fredalba area south of Running Springs. First responders arrived to find the bus on its side in a turnout, according to SBCFD’s press release on X.

Passengers climbed out through the roof hatch as firefighters set up triage protocols and a patient treatment area. Crews treated 26 patients total. Three suffered major injuries. Twenty went to area hospitals by ground ambulance while six declined transport.

The California Highway Patrol shut down the highway in both directions and is investigating the crash. No fire or hazardous material exposure occurred, and crews required no extrication operations. (RELATED: Colorado Driver Plunges 300 Feet Off ‘Treacherous’ Million Dollar Highway. Mountain Rescue Team Responds)

OVERTURNED TOUR BUS LEADS TO MCI, DOZENS INJURED

Fredalba: A bus carrying 36 people rolled over at a curve on
State Hwy. 330 south of Running Springs last night, leading to a multi-casualty incident with over two dozen injuries.

Dispatched just before 9 p.m., first-arriving… pic.twitter.com/facfnIqjLq

— San Bernardino County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) November 10, 2025

The response involved 11 engine companies, 11 ambulances and four chief officers. The first patients were en route to the emergency room within 15 minutes of triage. All patients were transported by 10:30 p.m.

The bus carried teens and young adults from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Santa Ana. They were traveling downhill to Orange County after a three-day retreat at Camp Nawakwa near Angelus Oaks, The Associated Press reported.

Cyntia Ramirez, 21, told the outlet the bus started shaking at a curve. “We were rocking from side to side and the bus fell over,” she said. Her sister fractured her arm in the crash.

County fire crews participated in a similar drill last February involving an overturned school bus, providing valuable experience for Sunday’s response.