Victim Identified In Fatal Fall From South Bay Party Bus
LOS GATOS (CBS SF) - The California Highway Patrol was still investigating the death of 25-year-old Natasha Noland, who was killed after she and another woman were ejected from a party bus late Friday night, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.
The fatal accident occurred just before midnight on Highway 17 near state Highway 9 in Los Gatos, CHP officer D.J. Sarabia said.
The party bus was carrying 12 to 15 passengers who were returning from a Brad Paisley concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View when Noland and a 20-year-old woman got into a physical fight near the back of the bus, Sarabia said.
Somehow, Sarabia said, a door in the back of the bus opened and Noland and the other woman were ejected.
The party bus was driving south on Highway 17 at about 45 mph at the time, and Noland was run over by the bus. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other woman was not seriously hurt.
"She had road rash all over her body. She didn't have a broken bone," Sarabia said of the second woman.
No other passengers were injured, and no other vehicles were involved.
Noland is the daughter of Todd and Sue Noland, the owners of the Pacific Wave Surf Shop in Santa Cruz, an employee at the store said Monday.
Sarabia said it is not yet clear how or why the bus door opened, but he noted that there are two levers that open the door, one near the driver and an emergency lever by the door itself.
Sarabia said it appears that all of the passengers on the bus had been drinking, and that Noland was likely intoxicated. He said the passengers were uncooperative with investigating officers.
The driver of the bus told investigators that she did not notice the backseat commotion right away because there was loud music playing, Sarabia said. The driver is not facing any charges, he said.
The company that owns the bus, Party Bus of Santa Cruz, declined to comment Monday morning.
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