A tour bus returning to New York City from Niagara Falls with 54 people aboard crashed and rolled on its side Friday on an interstate highway, killing five passengers and injuring many others, authorities said.
The driver apparently became distracted, lost control and overcorrected before the bus went into the righ
t shoulder and flipped over shortly before 12:30 p.m. on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 in Pembroke, New York, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of
Buffalo, state police Maj. Andre Ray said at an evening news conference. He did not say how the driver became distracted, adding that the cause remains under investigation.
Ray said the passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74. Multiple people were ejected from the bus during the cra
sh, and five people — all adults — were pronounced dead at the scene, Ray said. Many others became entrapped in the wreck and were rescued. Dozens were
taken to hospitals. Ray said it didn’t appear any other people had life-threatening injuries.
“An absolute tragedy took place,” Ray said. “And first and foremost, our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to those involved, their friends and their families.”
State police said most of the passengers on the bus were of Indian,
Chinese and Filipino ethnicity, and authorities brought in translators to help with the emergency response.
Ray said a preliminary investigation ruled out mechanical failure or driver impairment. The driver survived the crash and was cooperating with police, officials said. No charges had been filed as of Friday evening, Ray said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to New York to investigate the crash.
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The Mercy Flight medical transport service said its three helicopters and three more from other services transported people from the crash site. Hospitals in the
region said they evaluated or treated more than 40 people. Injuries ranged from head trauma to broken arms and legs.
Two people who needed surgery at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo were expected to recover, said Dr. Jeffrey Brewer, chief of surgery.
Staten Island Company
State police said the bus was owned by M&Y Tour Inc. in the New York City borough of Staten Island. A message seeking comment was left at a phone listing for the company.
M&Y Tour has a “satisfactory” safety rating and no record of accidents or fatalities over the past two years, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administr
ation. Officials inspected the company’s buses and drivers 60 times over the past two years, the agency said.