Bus company had history of problems before fatal crash

DALLAS (AP) _ A Dallas bus company whose tour bus was involved in a deadly crash earlier this month in Oklahoma has a record of safety and financial problems. <br/><br/>The bus owned by Autobuses El Conejo

Monday, February 27th 2006, 10:01 am

By: News On 6

DALLAS (AP) _ A Dallas bus company whose tour bus was involved in a deadly crash earlier this month in Oklahoma has a record of safety and financial problems.

The bus owned by Autobuses El Conejo Incorporated was traveling from Oklahoma City to Dallas February 18th when it crashed on icy Interstate 35 near Pauls Valley. An 8-year-old boy and a 28-year-old woman were killed.

The Dallas Morning News reports the company was given a ``conditional'' rating in December by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It was then updated to ``satisfactory'' during a follow-up audit on February sixth.

A spokesman for the agency did not say what the specific violations uncovered in the December review were, but records show driver safety was a concern.

An attorney for El Conejo declined to discuss the company's safety record.

Bankruptcy filings show the company filed for bankruptcy twice in the four years before the accident.