The 1955 GMC bus involved in the accident was owned by labor contractor Jesus Ayala and driven by Pablo Navarro Arellanos from the starting point of Calexico, California, bound to the intended destination of a High and Mighty Farms field, approximately 2–3 miles (3.2–4.8 km) away from the crash site.
[1] Mexicali newspapers described the wrecked bus as a "wheeled coffin"; Chavez reportedly said the same on January 19 according to William T. Vollmann's book Imperial.
[7] The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that Arellanos' body had a blood alcohol content level of .03 percent, but the investigation could not determine when he drank.
Chavez spoke that the accident happened because "of a farm labor system that treats workers like agricultural implements and not as important human beings.
[7] As of the beginning of 1975, according to CHP Lt. Art Wilson, new state regulations imposed due to the accident included an annual inspection on farm labor buses by the CHP and safety certification, limits on labor bus driver working time, and requirements for working speedometers and odometers on the buses.