The 16-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., was one of 55 people on the bus when it drifted off the shoulder of State Road 12 in Red Canyon, about 12 miles west of Bryce Canyon National Park, and rolled 2 1/2 times into a dry wash, ending up on its roof.
When all the rolling stopped, Larkin was upside down with a pile of people on top of him.
"We just started scrambling out of the bus before it started to burn," said Larkin. "My shoe was pinned so I just pulled my foot out of it."
Several people from Cedar City camping on the opposite side of the wash witnessed the crash and aided the 47 teenagers, seven adult supervisors and the driver in escaping from the bus before it burst into flames.
"You could see it was in trouble," said Sylvia Chamberlain. "We were just sitting in the campground . . . when it started coming right at us then slid in the gully and rolled."
Richard Hunter, one of the campers who helped evacuate the bus, said he saw "a lot of broken bodies" all scrambling to get out as smoke began filling the bus.
The driver, he said, was held upside down in his seat by his seat belt and had to be cut out.
"There was a lot of hollering and everyone was pretty stunned," said Hunter. "But they all did a good job of getting out of there."
Jared Litroff, 15, of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., remembered the bus going through some curves when the right tires drifted onto the shoulder. The bus hit a sign and started to roll.
"We landed with our wheels pointed to the sky," he said.
Brooke Garber, 16, of Miami, Fla., called the rollover was a terrifying experience."
"It was like the whole thing happened in slow motion," said Garber. "Everyone just started kicking out windows."
Derek Barocas, 16, Long Island, N.Y., said the scene in the bus was terrifying. "Girls were screaming and crying while others cried they were bleeding and that the bus was on fire."
Once out of the bus, the riders ran across the highway and up a hill where they watched the bus and all their belongings go up in smoke.
"You could just hear pop, pop, pop." said Larkin of they exploding tires.
One UHP trooper told the tour members that everything on the bus was destroyed.
All 55 people onboard the bus were taken to Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch and evaluated, with at least five treated for minor injuries, said hospital administrator Alberto Vasquez.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Steven Esplin said 17 of the teens were injured. Sgt. David Bairett said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Troopers did not know what caused the accident, which is still under investigation.
The bus was operated by Arrow Stage Lines, based in Norfolk, Neb. Another bus owned by the same company was involved in a similar accident in January. That bus crashed along State Road 163 in southern Utah, killing nine passengers.
After being examined at the hospital, the group was taken to a ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were fed donated pizza and other food. They likely will be put up in lodgings in Panguitch, authorities said.
The group of teens from New York, New Jersey and Florida was on Day 21 of a tour through the Western United States and Canada. They had been in Zion National Park the day before.
It was unclear Thursday night if the tour would continue.
