Dealing With The Pain

But it will be hard to deter the Asian folks from one of their few social outlets:

Grief-stricken Southeast Asian refugees asked hard questions Tuesday night about the casino bus accident that claimed eight lives and injured all 35 others aboard.

Five California Highway Patrol officials – including two assistant chiefs – answered questions for more than an hour at a community meeting at the Hmong Women's Heritage Association on Florin Road.

The gambler's special that left Sacramento at 5 p.m. Sunday flipped over about 6:12 p.m. on Lone Star Road about four miles from the Colusa Casino Resort, said Sgt. Patrick W. Landreth of the Williams CHP office.

Xou Vang, 23, of Sacramento wanted to know why his grandmother Lou Her remained trapped under the bus until about 6:30, when her family lost phone contact with her. Her, 68, was one of eight people who died in the accident.

"When she called, she said she was stuck and there was no one to pull her out," Vang said. "My dad received two calls on his cell phone, he called her twice, and she was still alive until 6:30."

Vang wanted to know what the response time was. After an off-duty Colusa County deputy sheriff called in the accident at 6:12, "the first units arrived approximately four minutes later" and immediately called for ambulances and helicopters to take people out of the remote area, Landreth said.

"Eight people were flown in helicopters to trauma centers," added Assistant Chief Steven Bell.

CHP officials couldn't explain why Her was still trapped under the bus until 6:30 but promised to issue a full report on the accident in several months.

...But activist Theresa Saechao, representing the Iu Mien, and Hmong radio personality Rose Xiong wanted to know whether the casinos or the bus company would take any responsibility – and what government officials knew about the safety of the bus.

"Did the bus have any liability insurance?" Xiong asked.

"Does the casino have any liability?" asked Saechao. "They target Southeast Asians who are struggling with income."

Bell couldn't speak for the casino and said the question of bus safety or liability is part of the criminal investigation.

...Saechao said her agency, Sacramento Lao Family Community, will be collecting donations to help with funeral expenses. Norm DeYoung of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association said his organization was contributing $3,500 to the funeral fund.

Koua Franz, executive director of the Hmong Women's Heritage Association, which is coordinating the relief efforts, remarked, "A lot of people are angry, a lot of people are in shock, and a lot of families are concerned. They're getting very little information about the victims, the investigation, and if all the victims' families have been properly contacted."

Funerals need to be planned, spirit healings need to be conducted, prayers need to be said.

One survivor, Pia Xiong, 51, was receiving both spirit healing and Western medical treatments. As she prepared for a 10-hour surgery Tuesday at UC Davis Medical Center, her family performed a traditional Hmong ritual at her south Sacramento home to pray for her health. A relative, who is the clan's shaman, lit incense to invoke the spirits of the Earth and sky to bless Xiong.

Xiong, a widow with 12 children to care for, is the glue that holds the family together, said her nephew Chor Thor, 35.

"Maybe there should be stricter regulations on bus drivers, maybe there should be seat belts on the bus," said Thor. He hopes the incident is a wake-up call – and maybe a sign from the spirits – that will discourage other elderly refugees from going to casinos.