Driver during double-decker crash pointed to mapping error; agency admits others had regularly missed viaduct clearances

Police reports appear to confirm the driver who crashed a double decker bus into a downtown Spokane viaduct in January was incorrectly routed there by onboard navigation software.

On Jan. 18, 65-year-old Wayne Morgan drove the vehicle, some 37,000 pounds and 13½ feet tall, into the roughly 12½-foot-tall railroad viaduct, shearing back the top foot of plexiglass, metal and plastic composite, and continuing forward for another 6 or so feet before crunching to a halt. Of the 10 people on board – nine passengers and Morgan – seven were hospitalized, though none suffered life-threatening injuries.

Morgan, who was charged with second-degree negligent driving, did not appear to be impaired, according to a police report released over the weekend. While agency officials have declined to confirm whether technological issues contributed to the crash, Morgan told police at the time that he had been following the map provided by STA when he crashed.

Roughly three and a half hours after the crash, the agency told the drivers of its double-decker buses to stop using its computer mapping software.

“Starting immediately: DO NOT USE CAD maps for routing purposes until further notice,” the message warned, photos shared with The S-R show.

Another hour later, agency officials decided to pull the double-decker buses out of service pending an investigation into the crash.

Chad Camandona, president of the union representing Spokane Transit drivers, noted that the agency has since told drivers of all routes not to rely on the mapping software, which he said was known to experience a few errors per quarter.

Morgan remains on administrative leave pending an investigation, though STA announced earlier this month that the double-decker buses would return to service by the end of the February.

In the wake of the crash, many in the public have asked how an experienced driver could have driven into a bridge clearly marked with a lower clearance than the listed height of their bus. But elsewhere downtown, drivers had been doing so as a matter of course, just without the same catastrophic result.

Six Spokane Transit routes travel under the railroad viaducts at Stevens and Wall, sometimes using the hybrid-electric buses that make up around 10% of the fleet. Those buses have a listed height of 11 feet, 6 inches – Stevens and Wall have both have listed clearances of 11 feet, 4 inches.

Following the double-decker crash, the Spokane Transit Authority reviewed the signage and heights of all downtown viaducts and compared these clearances against the height of the various vehicles in its fleet.

“It was during this audit we learned that the City of Spokane had updated the signage at Stevens and Wall,” wrote agency spokeswoman Carly Cortright. “Our hybrid buses have never impacted a viaduct, but after learning of new height limits placed by the City, we have pulled the hybrid buses from those routes that use those viaducts.”

Spokane Transit Authority officials said in a text that city officials had not notified them of the changed signage.

City officials clarified that clearance signage at Stevens was lowered from 11 feet, 6 inches, which records indicate had been its listed height for decades, to 11 feet, 4 inches in September, and acknowledged that it had failed to notify STA of the change.

“The City … is taking steps to make sure this happens moving forward,” wrote city public works spokeswoman Kirstin Davis.

Wall, however, has had a listed clearance of 11 feet, 4 inches since at least 2007, according to images from Google Maps street view.

Asked to clarify this discrepancy, Cortright stated simply that the organization had learned of the low height limit during the recent audit and was “still looking into why this wasn’t discovered previously.”

This suggests that, for four months, drivers of hybrid buses on Stevens either missed the lower clearance signs or drove on their prescribed route regardless. Drivers on Wall would have done the same, as long as hybrid buses have been a part of the agency’s fleet.

Cortright emphasized that, while the hybrid buses have manufacturer’s heights taller than the viaducts’ listed clearances, “it’s important to note that manufacturers have a safety margin included with the listed height,” meaning they are shorter than what is written. Davis confirmed that similar is true of the viaduct clearances, as the state Department of Transportation recommends listing a clearance three inches shorter than the lowest measured point.