Family of Iowa City native killed in bus crash files wrongful death lawsuit; Bus was returning from Iowa casino

ALBERT LEA, Minn. (AP) - The family of a woman who died in a tour bus crash near Austin last November has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Relatives of 52-year-old Rhonda Hill are seeking more than $50,000 from bus driver Edwin Erickson and his employer, Bold Lines, which does business as Strain Tours in Rochester.

The tour bus was returning from an Iowa casino when it crossed the median in Freeborn County and crashed, killing Hill and 56-year-old Pamela Holmquist of Kasson. Twenty others were injured.

The Post-Bulletin says Bold Lines is asking a judge to dismiss the family's complaint. Defense attorney John Hughes says the crash was due to the driver's undiagnosed medical condition and wasn't the result of negligence.

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Information from: Post-Bulletin, http://www.postbulletin.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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From another article about Rhonda Hill

Rhonda Rae Lien was born March 12, 1957, in Iowa City, Iowa. The family later moved to Minnesota, and she graduated from Caledonia High School in 1975. She married David Hill on April 14, 1982, in Preston. The couple later divorced. …

From Obituary for Rhonda Hill

Rhonda Rae Lien was born March 12, 1957, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Vernon and Barbara (Paulson) Lien. She attended Elementary and High School in Caledonia, and served in the U.S. Navy. …

Additional:

David and Rhonda Hill were married for 25 years. Though they divorced, David said he still loved her. He said the couple split because Rhonda Hill gambled too much and that's why it was so tough to learn she died when her tour bus rolled on the way home from a casino. …