SALT LAKE CITY -- The man who organized two busloads of skiers for a trip to Telluride, Colo., says the emotions he felt at Sunday night's crash site are impossible to describe.

"We all witnessed such horrific things," said Luis Garrido. “It's so hard to describe."

VIDEO: 'It Seemed People We All Over The Place,' Organizer Says

Garrido said he was in the second bus, about 20 minutes behind the bus that plunged 41 feet down an embankment and rolled several times near Mexican Hat, about 275 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, in the Four Corners area on Sunday night.

"Everybody was helping in any way they could,” Garrido said.

The impact sheared off the roof, ejecting most of the 51 passengers, who were returning to the Phoenix area. Nine Arizonans died.

“They were covering up people,” he said. “And they were digging them out."

The driver of the bus said he was "just doing the speed limit" of 65 mph when he failed to negotiate a turn that led to the crash, an Utah investigator said.

Garrido said he and his bus companions sprang into action.

"We took flashlights and searched up and down the creekbed that was about 50 yards away to see if anybody was thrown that far,” he said. “It seemed like people were all over the place."

Not just people, but their friends.

"Sometimes I cry,” Garrido said. “I try not to. I can talk to my family here without crying but to describe it to someone else like yourself very hard," he told CBS 5 News reporter Donna Rossi.

"A lot of people will never understand,” he continued. “They won't know what we saw, what we went through, or the feelings that everybody had that night."

Ski Bus Driver's Record 'Perfect,' Says Boss

Back in Michigan, people who know Welland Lotan's apparently spotless driving record were surprised to learn he was the driver when the charter bus.

Lotan, 71, lives in Gladwin County, Mich., and drives there for American Tour Club, a charter service. He and wife Betty spend winters in Apache Junction, Ariz., where he also drives buses.

"He's driven for us for six years," American Tour owner Jim Stange told The Bay City (Mich.) Times. "He's put on hundreds of thousands of miles for us without so much as a ding or scratch on a bus. His record's perfect."

Stange was stunned when he learned that Lotan was driving a bus that went off a twisting highway and rolled several times.

The bus was among 17 returning to Phoenix after a long ski weekend in Telluride, Colo. The roof was sheared, ejecting many of the 51 passengers, some 100 yards or more.

"He's just so cautious," Stange said of Lotan. "He took pride in the fact that he doesn't speed, doesn't tailgate, doesn't pass people without wide clearance. ... Of all my drivers, he's the guy who always checks all the equipment.

"He's all about responsibility. He's driven all his life," Stange said.

Indeed, records show no violations on Lotan's driving record, according to the Michigan Secretary of State.

Lotan was not seriously injured but remains at an Arizona hospital. Two people were in critical condition Friday at hospitals in Grand Junction, Colo., and Salt Lake City. Names were not released.

"I'm just too upset to talk," Betty Lotan told the Times.

The bus belonged to Corporate Transportation 'N Tours of Phoenix, which is affiliated with Arrow Stage Lines of Nebraska.

The Utah Highway Patrol and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. They are focusing on why Lotan failed to handle a curve on State Route 163, which is a risky place to drive a large vehicle at night.

"It looks like it could be operator error," UHP Lt. Todd Peterson said. "But we're keeping any statements he made close to our vest."

Gladwin-area friends said Lotan is an avid golfer in the Sugar Springs retirement community in Michigan.

"You always see him on a golf cart, driving around, protecting everyone, keeping an eye out for balls," said Anthony Raineri, a Sugar Springs golfer and restaurant worker. "Everyone up here loves him."