PHOENIX -- More investigators headed Wednesday to southeastern Utah, where a tour bus loaded with Arizona skiers crashed Sunday night, killing nine people.

San Juan County Sheriff Mike Lacy was at the scene shortly after the crash and has his own idea about what caused the wreck on State Route 163 north of the town of Mexican Hat, Utah, in the Four Corners Area.

"This bus was going too fast to negotiate that curve," Lacy said. "There's an advisory speed of 40 miles per hour for that curve. If somebody is not familiar with that, going anything over 40 -- and I understand the driver said he was going 65 -- is probably too fast for that particular curve in a bus."

Lacy said, "Weather was not a factor at all. When I got there, the roads were slightly wet, but not very much. There was no snow."

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board recovered the black box and video that were on the bus, but do not know if they will be able to retrieve information. The driver, Welland Lotan, 71, of Apache Junction, continues to be questioned by investigators.

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Related story: Black Box Found In Bus Crash; Victims Mourned

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Lacy said he's been in law enforcement for 35 years and the wreck was probably the worst he's ever seen. "It looked like somebody had blown up that bus. There was debris scattered around and there were bodies."

Lisa Silliman, who works at the S&S Garage in New River, Utah, where the badly-damaged bus was taken, said it was also the worst she's seen.

"We've been in business for 40 years and I've never seen this type of accident, never," said Silliman. "I've had four or five people at a time, but not this many. Nothing this chaotic. It's a mess."

Silliman said garage workers sorted items from the bus -- like clothes, skis and laptops, all muddy and torn up. They were loaded into a trailer to be taken to Phoenix.

The crash killed nine Arizonans, including three students at Deer Valley High School in Glendale and one student at Scottsdale Saguaro High School. A total of 51 people were on the bus, returning to Phoenix from the Telluride ski area in Colorado.

Survivors continued telling their stories Tuesday.

"I remember waking up on the ground and thinking, 'Where am I, what's going on?'" said Eddie Bowen. He said his friend, Whitney Gordon, was yelling, "We've been in a really bad accident." Both Bowen and Gordon survived without serious injuries.

Another survivor, Joe Luke Jr., said he was bruised and banged up, but grateful to be breathing. He told CBS 5, "I just started thinking, 'Thank you, Jesus,' because I knew I was alive. At that point, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I was alive."

Luke said, "I have stitches in my face, I have broken ribs, the doctor said I have a fracture to my nose. (But) nine people died. Pray for those families and what they're going through. Keep them in your prayers."

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