Vallejo, CA — May 24, 2025, three people were killed as the result of a bus accident at around 3:00 a.m. along Sonoma Boulevard.

According to initial details about the accident, it took place near the intersection of Sonoma Boulevard and Valle Vista Avenue.

Investigators said that there was a bus parked alone the roadway with no one on board at the time. A white car was approaching the bus, and it ultimately slammed into the back of the stopped bus. Due to the collision, three people from the car were killed.

There were no other reported injuries. Authorities did not say if the bus had lights on or cones on the road. Further information is available.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a car slams into the back of a parked bus and three people lose their lives, most folks are left wondering: How could this happen? Especially at 3:00 in the morning, visibility, lighting, and placement matter more than ever. Early reports say the bus was stopped along Sonoma Boulevard with no one on board, and that the car simply ran into it. That might sound like an open-and-shut case—but there’s far more beneath the surface.

A Parked Vehicle Isn’t Always Innocent

One detail that stands out immediately is that the bus was “parked along the roadway.” That’s vague enough to raise a lot of questions. Was it pulled fully out of the travel lanes? Was it parked legally? Did it have hazard lights flashing? Warning cones or reflective triangles out? At 3:00 a.m., those things aren’t just helpful—they’re legally required in many situations involving commercial vehicles.

I’ve worked on cases where the visibility of a stopped commercial vehicle—or the lack of it—was the deciding factor in who was held responsible. A bus parked too close to travel lanes or without proper markings can pose a deadly hazard, especially when lighting is low and other drivers don’t have time to react.

What Needs to Be Uncovered

To understand how this crash happened—and whether it could have been avoided—several key questions need answers:

• Where exactly was the bus parked? Fully on the shoulder, partially in the lane, or somewhere else?
• Were any warning signals used? Flashing lights, hazard cones, or reflective triangles?
• Was the area well-lit? That matters a lot on a roadway in the early morning hours.
• Were there mechanical issues? Was the bus left there due to a breakdown, or was it parked temporarily by choice?

These are not minor details—they go straight to the heart of liability. A commercial vehicle parked improperly in a dark area without proper safety equipment can be just as dangerous as a vehicle in motion.

Shared Roads Mean Shared Responsibility

To be clear, we don’t yet know what the car’s driver was doing or whether impairment, distraction, or speed played a role. That part of the investigation matters, too. But when a parked commercial vehicle contributes to a deadly crash, we can’t stop at blaming the car’s driver and move on.

Who owns the bus? Who parked it? Was the driver following company policy? Was that policy up to code? These are all questions that deserve answers—especially when three lives are lost.

Key Takeaways

• A car rear-ended a parked bus in the early morning hours, killing three people, but we don’t yet know whether the bus was safely and legally positioned.
• The presence—or absence—of hazard lights, cones, and reflective equipment will be key to understanding the bus’s role in the crash.
• Stopped commercial vehicles carry serious safety obligations, especially when left in dark or active roadway areas.
• Questions about vehicle placement, company procedures, and visibility must be answered through a thorough investigation.
• Liability in these crashes can involve multiple parties—not just the driver who hit the vehicle, but also those responsible for where and how it was parked.