Raging flood flips tour bus in Arizona and sweeps it 300 yards downstream after driver tries to cross submerged roadway

All the passengers and the driver escaped the bus without injury

The driver could be cited under Arizona's 'stupid motorist law'

Arizona is in the middle of its monsoon season, which is known for causing flash floods and stranding motorists

A group of tourists on their way back from sightseeing at the Grand Canyon are lucky to be alive after their tour bus was swept away by flood waters in northern Arizona this afternoon. The water then carried the bus 300 yards before it flipped onto its side in the flooded wash.



In all, 33 people were on the bus when it flipped. Thankfully, none of them were injured.

A spokesman for the Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District said the incident happened just before 2 p.m. He said the bus approached a low-lying area and was swept away by a flash flood.

Swept Away: A flash flood in Arizona swept this tour bus 300 yards downstream before flipping it over

Lucky: nobody was hurt when this bus flipped over after get swept away by a flash flood

The passengers and the driver managed to escape the bus by climbing through windows and swimming to dry land.

By the time the passengers had escaped, the water had risen to 8 feet in some areas.

Arizona is in the middle of its monsoon season, when flash-floods are common in some of the low-lying areas and mountain passes.







In many cases, what appears to be little more than a few inches of rain covering a section of a roadway is actually a fast-moving stream capable of sweeping away things as large and heavy as a bus.

For decades, state and local officials in Arizona have urged motorists to not attempt to cross flooded roadways, regardless of how shallow the water appears. But people continue to do it, and frequently end up with a fate similar to the bus that was swept away this afternoon.

Aftermath: The road is dry after a flash flood swept a tour bus 300 yards downstream

Tourists: The group on the bus was headed back to Las Vegas after spending the visiting the Grand Canyon

Emergency responders then would be forced to assist these motorists - rescue efforts that were paid for by state and local municipalities.



In 1995, Arizona passed a law dubbed 'The Stupid Motorist Law,' which allows the state to hold people financially responsible for any rescue efforts that are needed to save them if they attempt to cross a flooded roadway and get swept away.



The law states that a stupid motorist 'may be liable for expenses of any emergency response that is required to remove from the area the driver or any passenger in the vehicle that becomes inoperable in the area or the vehicle that becomes inoperable in the area, or both.'

Monsoon: Arizona's monsoon season creates flash floods across the state - and gets plenty of 'stupid motorists' swept away by fast-moving streams

In addition to covering the expenses of the rescue effort, motorists can be fined up to $2,000.

Arizona rescue official Pat Moore told Phoenix's ABC15 that he thinks the driver of the bus should be cited for driving the bus across standing water.

However, it will be up to the Mojave County Sheriff's Office to determine whether the driver will be cited.





