​On June 6, 2022, about 2:41 p.m. central daylight time, a crash occurred between a medium-size bus and a truck-tractor combination vehicle at an intersection of US Highway 65 (US-65) and State Highway 35 (SH-35) near Dermott, Chicot County, Arkansas. The bus was traveling westbound on SH-35 and, without yielding, began crossing the southbound lanes of US-65, where it was struck by the combination vehicle (see figure 1). Five bus passengers died and three bus passengers sustained serious injuries; both drivers were seriously injured.

​​We determined that the probable cause of the Dermott, Arkansas, intersection crash was the failure of the bus driver to yield to the combination vehicle, likely as the result of fatigue.

​The benefits of onboard video recorders go beyond assisting crash investigators in understanding the movement of vehicles involved in a crash. They are essential in evaluating the behavior of drivers and passengers, and can also serve as an oversight mechanism for ensuring compliance with transportation safety regulations and company policies. The NTSB has recognized these multifaceted benefits of onboard video recorder systems and has issued safety recommendations designed to fully utilize those advantages. Drivers’ fitness for duty, including being rested when operating a vehicle, is an essential component of safe driving. The C.B. King Memorial School’s postcrash changes—including installing inward-facing cameras on all its buses, the new oversight policies, and expanding its existing defensive driving training program—would help address the deficiencies uncovered in this investigation​.