Upstate School Bus Accident Kills Two
Thousands of people put their kids on school buses every morning, trusting that their children will arrive at school safely and be carried home again unharmed. But school bus accidents seem relatively common, and often end tragically.
Just this past week, a school bus in Montezuma upstate, was involved in a crash with two cars. Two people died as a result.
According to News Channel 9 (local ABC News channel), the bus and another car were traveling south on State Road 90 when a car traveling in the opposite direction crossed the center line. That car hit the driver’s side of the bus and struck the other car head on.
One person from each car was killed. Two people were airlifted to Upstate University Hospital and one student was taken to Geneva Hospital with minor injuries. Continue reading
Lincoln Tunnel Bus Accident Injures Several, Delays Commuters
The Lincoln Tunnel was closed for several hours Monday morning after two buses collided, sending several passengers to area hospitals. According to the Pocono Record, a Martz Trailways bus rear-ended a New Jersey Transit bus near the tunnel entrance.
The crash happened at about 7:15 am and the tunnel was not reopened until about 10:30, seriously delaying some commuters. Fortunately, the sustained injuries in the bus accident were not life-threatening.
Both buses had to be towed from the scene. The Martz bus had originated in Tobyhanna at 5:15 and stopped in Mount Pocono to pick up more passengers before the accident. The NJ Transit bus was a Route 168 bus from Paramus to the Port Authority station in NYC. That bus had 45 passengers on board, while the number aboard the Martz bus was unknown.
Two passengers were seriously injured and three were taken out of the buses, strapped to backboards. Continue reading
NYC-Bound Bus Overturns, Injures 23
Another tour bus bound for New York City crashed over the weekend. This time, thankfully, no one was killed. But, the accident marks the latest of several in the area and leaves officials wondering what more can be done to protect bus travelers.
According to the Associated Press, the bus was en route from Canada to NYC when it overturned on an exit ramp in Northern New Jersey. After turning over, it slid down an embankment and came to rest on its side.
Twenty-three people on board were injured in the crash, including the driver who suffered a cut in his arm. Eight of the injured passengers were admitted in critical condition. Continue reading
Casino Tour Bus Accident Injures 24
Just over a year after a casino tour bus accident killed 15 on its way back to Manhattan, another similar bus was involved in an accident. This time, fortunately, no one was killed, but two dozen people were sent to area hospitals with injuries.
According to the Associated Press, the bus was returning to Chinatown in Queens from a the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut when the accident happened.
The driver reportedly veered across three lanes of traffic and slid 500 feet along a barrier before coming to a rest. It happened on Northbound Interstate 95 in the early morning hours.
The driver was most seriously injured as he was ejected from the bus. No one had “serious” injuries but all passengers were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
The bus line responsible for the bus is named Star Tag. Like the doomed bus in the tragic March 2011 accident, it mainly caters to Asian New Yorkers and runs frequent trips to casinos in surrounding states. However, unlike that other bus, Star Tag is not being shut down as a result of this accident though there’s little doubt that an investigation will be launched. Continue reading
Briarwood Queens School Bus Accident Injures Seven
Five children and two adults were injured early this week when a cab struck a school bus in the Briarwood neighborhood of Queens. According to MyFoxNY.com, the bus was carrying special needs children between the ages of 8 and 10.
All of the children were transported to Long Island Jewish Medical Center. The matron, also aboard the bus, and the cab driver were both taken to Jamaica Hospital. Their conditions are unknown.
Witnesses say that many of the children were highly distraught, as to be expected after an accident. Many parents arrived to offer comfort before the children were transported.
The matron appeared to have suffered the greatest injuries.
It isn’t clear what caused the accident or if any charges will be filed. The police are still investigating. Continue reading
NTSB Blames Driver Fatigue for Fatal Bus Crash
In an investigation that’s lasted over a year, and one we blogged about just last month, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings in a final hearing last week, pointing to driver fatigue and speed as the causes in a New York bus crash that ultimately killed 15 people.
The bus accident occurred in March 2011 as a bus carrying 32 people was heading towards Manhattan from a trip to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. It was before dawn when the bus hit a guardrail, rolled on its side and slid into a large sign post, shearing off the top of the bus and killing several people instantly.
In all, 15 were killed and 7 were seriously injured. Continue reading
“Safety Sweeps” in 13 States to Keep Buses Safe
Federal inspectors are running roadside bus inspections to ensure passengers are kept safe this summer as travel picks up. The inspections come as a result of several recent bus accidents and glaring violations and questionable practices among these bus companies.
According to USA Today, the sweeps began earlier this month when the National Transportation Safety Board released their findings in an investigation into the deadly casino tour bus crash last year.
The inspections are designed to keep both unsafe buses and unsafe drivers off the roads. They are focusing on 13 states including New York and New Jersey as well as Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
These buses have become more and more popular in recent years as travelers look for more inexpensive modes of transportation.
The inspections focus on mechanical problems on the actual buses and on the drivers, checking to make sure their paperwork is up to date, they are working the right number of hours to remain safe, and that they are “medically fit.” Continue reading
In Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Fatal Bus Accident, Driver & Company Had Prior Safety Problems
Investigative documents were released last week in the case of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway bus accident last year that killed 15 people and injured several others. According to the documents, as reported by Bloomberg Businessweek, this wasn’t the first problem for the bus company or the driver.
The accident occurred on March 12, 2011 as a bus full of passengers was returning from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. The bus flipped on the Expressway, hitting a post which sheared off the roof of the bus.
According to initial investigations, the driver said that a tractor-trailer veered into his lane and ran the bus off the road. But investigators said they couldn’t find any evidence of this claim.
The National Transportation Safety Board found in their investigation that the driver had his license suspended 18 times in past years and had been fired from two previous transportation jobs. At the time of the accident, he was shuttling passengers to and from casinos multiple times daily, catching sleep when he could. On the morning of the tragic accident, he reportedly slept on the bus from midnight to about 3:20 a.m.
The company behind the bus was given an “unsatisfactory” rating by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after the accident and has since shut down. Continue reading
New York Buses Will Undergo More Frequent/Thorough Inspections
New York buses can expect to be under greater scrutiny in the state’s effort to prevent deadly accidents like those seen in 2011. The state has earmarked $1 million for a new bus inspection program, according to LoHud.com. The new program will force some buses to face multiple inspections per year, based on prior performance and a number of other factors.
The companies who have failed inspections or who have bad safety records will see more inspections than those who do well. All companies will get at least two inspections per year, which is the current standard.
In 2011, there were two major bus accidents in the state, one which killed 15 in March and one that killed 8 in October.
In the March 2011 crash, the driver was found to have hit near 80 miles per hour prior to the crash, and to have convictions for manslaughter and grand larceny on his record. In that accident, the bus tipped on its side and slid, allowing a pole to rip through the roof and the length of the bus. Continue reading
Brooklyn driving school loses license after bus accident
A New York driving school has had its operating license suspended after an undercover investigation reportedly found that the owners were using fraudulent methods to help students pass licensing tests. The owners of the school are also facing criminal fraud charges in connection with the alleged offenses.
The N & Y Professional Service Line School was recently linked to a fatal bus accident in which a low-fare bus traveling from North Carolina to New York crashed in Virginia, killing four people and injuring dozens more. The driver of the bus, who received his commercial driver’s license from N & Y, later admitted that he had fallen asleep just before the crash. He is now facing manslaughter charges. Continue reading
Verdict Expected In Deadly Bus Accident Case
A 60-year old bus driver will soon learn his fate, after facing homicide charges for a bus accident he is alleged to have caused last September. The driver, John Tomaszewski, suffered serious injuries himself, as did several passengers, when he crashed a double decker bus into a low overpass, causing the bus to tip on its side. Though there’s a good chance he will be found guilty, it isn’t yet clear if the prosecutor is seeking jail time.
According to CP24.com, the accident may have happened when Tomaszewski made a wrong turn and was consulting a hand-held GPS device. As a result, four passengers on the bus were killed. He was ultimately charged with four counts of criminally negligent homicide and one count of failing to obey a traffic control device.
Since the bus accident, Tomaszewski has been living with family. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident and is in need of surgery. He was released without bail pending the verdict as the judge didn’t see him as a flight risk, and with good reason.
Although other passengers on the bus were injured, the status of any civil cases isn’t clear. Continue reading
80-Year Old Man Hits School Bus, Bicycle and Range Rover
Bensonhurst was the scene of multiple auto accidents last week as an 80-year old man not only hit a school bus, but went on to hit a bicyclist and a Range Rover truck before coming to a stop. Tommy Saladino was taken to the hospital but is expected to be arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
Saladino allegedly hit a school bus and kept driving. It wasn’t until he hit a bicycle and Range Rover that his black Mercedes was stopped on 73rd Street near 18th Avenue.
A sixty-three year old bicyclist was thrown onto the windshield of a parked car after being hit by Saladino. He lost his helmet and shoes and rolled from on top of the vehicle to the sidewalk. According to the NY Daily News, he was in cardiac arrest when he was transported to Maimonides Hospital.
Saladino is the owner of Continental Shoes, also on 18th Avenue. He had hit a school bus and was driving away when the bicycle accident happened. While he would have normally only been charged with hit and run, he will now face the consequences of the other two collisions as well. Continue reading