Northern California bus crash that killed 6 was intentional, authorities say

Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times on Oct 8, 2026

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A fiery head-on collision between a pickup truck and a rural transit bus in Northern California that left six people dead earlier this year was intentionally caused and has been classified as a murder-suicide, authorities said.

On Jan. 14, a woman driving a Toyota Tacoma was high on methamphetamine when she purposefully crossed the center line into oncoming traffic on Highway 99 near Corning and slammed into a Tehama Rural Area eXpress bus, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office announced this week.

The bus driver and four passengers were killed, as was the driver of the Toyota.

The pickup truck driver, Christina Whittmore, 41, of Corning, had tried to kill herself on the same highway a day before the crash, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The collision on the narrow two-lane highway ignited a fire that engulfed the 17-passenger mid-sized commercial shuttle bus, which had a 50-year-old driver and five passengers onboard, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. One surviving passenger was seriously injured.

An investigation by the California Highway Patrol showed that Whittmore made no effort to slow or stop her 2021 black Tacoma, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators obtained dash camera footage that showed Whittmore crossing into the opposite lane of traffic in the same area a day earlier in an apparent attempt to crash head-on into a garbage truck, the Sheriff’s Office statement said.

The garbage truck driver took evasive action and avoided a collision.

Investigators found writings associated with Whittmore that “included references to suicidal ideation, financial difficulties, and illicit substance abuse,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Tehama County coroner’s office will amend the death certificates of the bus driver and passengers to say their cause of death was homicide, authorities said. Whittmore’s will be changed to say she died by suicide.

The Sheriff’s Office has identified the deceased as bus driver Kelly Margaret Langstaff and passengers Cassandra Moreno, John Perry, Oscar Carrillo and Trena Cain.

“The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the profound impact this tragedy has had on the families of those who lost their lives, the survivors, and the community,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“While these findings are deeply troubling, the Sheriff’s Office believes it is important to provide transparency regarding the circumstances of this collision and the findings of the investigation.”