NORTH PALM SPRINGS - (INT) - An official of the National Transportation Safety Board says that four of the eight tires on the tour bus that crashed Sunday had treads that were too thin.

What role that played in the crash has not been determined, but an inspection would have sidelined the bus.

Besides any mechanical issues, one aspect of the probe will focus on the bus driver who was among the 13 fatalities.

Teodulo Vides, 59, has been identified as the owner of the USA Holiday bus company which had booked 43 passengers for a turnaround trip from Los Angeles to the Red Earth Casino in Thermal.

Vides, apparently, failed to see a truck that had slowed with westbound traffic on Interstate 10 to enable a a Southern California Edison crew to work on a power line. It was estimated the truck had slowed to 5 miles an hour when the bus plowed into the rear of the truck's trailer.

Most of the ten women and three men who perished were seated, without seat belts, near the front of the bus. Many were asleep at the time of the 5:15am impact.

The NTSB will determine if Vides was fatigued, may have fallen asleep at the wheel or suffered a medical emergency.

Meantime, most of the 31 people who were injured have been released after hospital treatment. Most of the dead have been identified and all but one was from Los Angeles.

Isabel Jimenez Hernandez - 66
Rosa Ruiz - 53
Adult male -
Guatavo Green - 62
Zoila Aguilera - 72
Teodulo Vides - 59 - (bus driver)
Milagros Gonzales - 72
Conception Corvera - 57 - Palmdale
Aracely Tije - 63
Yolanda Mendoza - 69
Dora Galvez de Rodriguez - 69
Elvia Sanchez - 52
Ana Gomes de Magallon - 71

Story Date: October 27, 2016