Tour bus driver dies in accident

TUSCUMBIA -- A tour bus driver who had carried hundreds of Shoals residents all over the country died late Friday when the bus he was driving smashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler.

Billy Copeland, 71, died at the scene after he was ejected from his bus as it collided with the flatbed transport truck.

Copeland's body came to rest in the median on Alabama 20, about 200 yards from where the truck and bus came to a stop. The crash scene was west of Wilson Dam Road, directly across from Arnold's Truck Stop.

State troopers said the accident occurred at 11:50 p.m.

Copeland, who was originally from Cleveland, Ohio, worked for Anchor Tours, a Nashville-based company that has a terminal in Tuscumbia. He previously worked for Basden Bus Co. in Tuscumbia.

"It's just really sad," said Mike Melton, director of the Colbert County's Emergency Management Authority. "Mr. Copeland was always a very dependable, hard-working man. He always seemed most comfortable when he was sitting in that bus seat."

Melton had a personal history with Copeland, who lived on Mount Mills Road in Cherokee.

"I used to drive a little for Basden back in the 1980s and Mr. Copeland helped me a lot as I was starting out," Melton said. "Everyone looked up to him and it always seemed like he was with me, either in the bus or driving behind me, every time I went out.

"He was a good man."

No one else was in the bus at the time, and emergency workers speculated that Copeland was heading home to Cherokee after dropping off passengers.

Ray Basden, Tuscumbia office manager for Anchor Tours, said Copeland was returning from a trip to Louisville, Ky. Basden said Copeland and another driver had taken students from Lewisburg, Tenn., to Kentucky on Friday and had returned Friday evening.

Basden, whose father started Basden Bus Lines, said Copeland had worked for the company for about 40 years.

"We were best of friends, not only through work, but riding our Harleys together," Basden said.

"There is no telling how many kids (Copeland) has taken on senior trips, sporting events and band competitions."

Basden said that Copeland worked for a short time transporting entertainers.

"Everybody that rode with him loved him," Basden said. "The kids from Rivermont nicknamed him 'Tarzan, king of the asphalt jungle.' "

The impact of the crash shifted the heavy load being transported on the truck at least 8 feet, according to driver Richard Budnarchuk, who lives in Saskatchewan in Canada.

Budnarchuk said he had just picked up a load of aluminum coil from Wise Alloys in Listerhill. He was transporting the load to Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

The crash also sparked a fire that ultimately charred the entire front end of the bus. At one point, flames were visible throughout the front of the bus. Muscle Shoals firefighters were able to control the fire quickly once they arrived.

The steering wheel of the bus was noticeably bent forward, and the front windshield was in the bed of the truck, having been knocked off during the crash.

Both vehicles were traveling west on Alabama 20.

"As we were leaving (Wise Alloys), I asked the guard if he could direct me to the nearest truck stop, and he told me about Arnold's," Budnarchuk said. "My wife and I were going to pull over there and get some sleep before heading back (to Canada).

"We had just turned onto (Alabama 20) from (Wilson Dam Road), and I didn't see anything anywhere close as I turned. I eased over into the left lane when I saw Arnold's, signaled and was preparing to turn. All of a sudden, there's just a loud pop and the entire truck gets jolted. Everything in the cab of the truck -- my phone, everything -- got thrown all over the truck."

Budnarchuk said he didn't realize what had happened at first. He started steering his 18-wheeler to the shoulder of the road and realized the travel bus had locked onto the back of his truck.

"The bus just burst into flames," he said. "I grabbed the fire extinguisher (from the cab of the truck) and ran back there. I nearly had it put out at one time, but it caught on fire again.

"I hollered for anyone inside, but no one answered. I knew then that the driver must have been thrown out."

Budnarchuk said he was puzzled about what caused the accident.

"I have no idea what could have happened," he said. "I signaled and there are plenty of lights on the back of the truck, but for some reason he didn't see me. It doesn't look like he braked at all. He hit the back of the truck at whatever speed he was driving at the time."

State troopers are investigating in an effort to determine how the crash happened.

Tom Smith can be reached at 332-0140 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.