Bailee Rios Sparks Outrage After Fatal LA Metro Bus Collision

A chilling new video shows the driver in Tuesday’s bus crash looking dazed and bloody moments after she allegedly killed two passengers when she slammed her SUV into the side of it.

Bailee Lynn Rios, 36, appeared stunned as witnesses approached her vehicle and asked if she was alright following the violent collision.

“Can you get out?” a man asks.

“Huh?” Rios is heard breathlessly saying.

Blood poured down from around her right eye.

“Are you okay? Can you breathe, talk, and everything?” the man says.

Rios is then heard saying, “Yeah,” in a dazed tone. He then reassures her that the fire department is coming.

The new footage showed the brutal damage inflicted on the bus and Rios’ vehicle, shredding metal on both vehicles and spreading shattered glass.

The crash caused a chain of events that eventually led to the horrific crash of NBC’s news helicopter, killing a reporter, her pilot, and a pedestrian on the ground. Both incidents claimed the lives of a combined five people.

Rios was charged with two counts of second-degree murder, driving under the influence, and reckless driving Thursday for the crash.

She needed to be hospitalized because of the crash and missed her court date in LA County Superior Court Thursday because she remained under the care of doctors.

She was allegedly high on drugs at the time of the crash and had drugs in her car, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. Cops discovered suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in her vehicle following the deadly Tuesday wreck, sources with knowledge of the investigation told the California Post.

Hochman said she will receive a maximum sentence of life behind bars if convicted.

“Miss Rios did not have to get behind the wheel while impaired. She did not have to drive on the other side of the road. She did not have to blow through the red light at full force and drive her SUV right into a Metro bus. That was all preventable,” he said.

In addition to the two people killed, five other people were injured, including two people who were thrown out of the bus, Hochman said.

The victims of the bus crash were identified as Gage Weida, 31, and Daniel Castillo, 46, on Wednesday morning.

Castillo’s family said they wish they would have had more time with him.

“Our dad brought so much love, laughter, joy, and light into our world. We are incredibly blessed to have loved him and to have been loved by him,” the family said in a statement. 

Weida’s family described him as a “kind, caring, and selfless son.” 

A memorial was held Thursday evening for the victims. Autumn Raiff, Castillo’s longtime partner, said she wished for many more years with him.

“He was one in a million,” Raiff told NBC LA. “He deserved so much better. We were planning so much for our lives.”

Rios had “big concerns lately,” leading up to the crash, her close friend Brad Aragon told the California Post.

“Brad, it’s not a joking matter on this bf thing its serious and im honestly scared but yes of course imma come see you,” read a text from Rios to Aragon at 1:24 p.m. Tuesday — only hours before her SUV slammed into the side of the Metro bus.

“She was saying lately that she was associating with certain people that she shouldn’t be associating with. I was going to help her with that,” he said.

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