NTSB releases preliminary report on fatal NY Thruway bus crash
The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report of the tour bus crash that killed five people and injured dozens more on the New York state Thruway last month.
According to the report, “all aspects” of the Aug. 22 crash remain under investigation as NTSB determines what caused the crash. Here’s more about what occurred on Interstate 90 in Pembroke, Genesee County, that afternoon:
What happened?
Just after 12:20 p.m., the eastbound 61-passenger 2005 Van Wool motorcoach traveled onto the right shoulder, then across both eastbound lanes and into the grassy median before reentering the eastbound travel lanes, according to the report. The bus “yawed counterclockwise and rolled onto its right side” before it came to rest with its front end on the shoulder and edge of the eastbound roadway, about a quarter mile east of mile marker 404, according to the report.
The tour bus, operated by M&Y Tour, Inc. out of Staten Island, was traveling from New York City to Niagara Falls when it overturned.
New York State Police last month said it was believed that the driver became distracted, lost control of the bus and overcorrected, exited the roadway, in which the bus overturned.
Troopers said last month that mechanical failure and operator impairment or intoxication were ruled out and no charges were filed.
How many people died? How many were injured?
Five people were killed in the crash, according to New York State Police. They are:
- Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhu Bani, India,
- Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Columbia University student Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China
- Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jian Mingli, 56 of Jersey City, New Jersey
According to the NTSB report, 54 people – including the driver – were on board. The driver and 48 passengers suffered injuries that ranged from minor to serious.
Bin Shao, 55 of Flushing, Queens County, was operating the vehicle and had no signs of impairment, according to State Police.
What agencies are investigating the bus crash?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, New York State Police, New York State Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Compliance Bureau and New York State Thruway Authority are all part of the NTSB investigation, which is still underway.
More about the crash site
At site of the crash, Interstate 90 is a divided four-lane highway with two travel lanes in in teh eastbound direction and two westbound lanes, according to the NTSB report. The east and west travel lanes are separated by a median that’s 84 feet wide. The posted speed limit is 65 mph.
Where is Pembroke?
Pembroke is in western Genesee County, near the border of Erie County and is crossed by several major highways, including Routes 5, 33, 77 and the New York state Thruway. The town is roughly an hour’s drive west of Rochester, has a population near 4,200 and has several hamlets — Corfu, East Pembroke and Indian Falls.
Bus company in NY Thruway crash got safety rating in 2024: How did it score?
As of August, the company behind the wheel of an Aug. 22 tour bus crash on the Thruway failed one-fifth of all safety vehicle inspections in the last two years, but passed all but one of its driver inspections, according to federal records.
The bus company, M&Y Tour Inc. received a “satisfactory” safety rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in September 2024. The rating is the highest a commercial motor vehicle company can receive and indicates “no evidence of substantial non-compliance with safety requirements.”
The company did not report any bus crashes in the last two years, according to the report.
Federal safety inspection reports show M&Y Tour Inc. operates nine charter buses and employs 20 drivers.
- In the last two years, inspectors found critical violations in nine of 43 vehicle inspections. The report doesn’t specify violations, but it may have included issues with things like brakes, tires, lights or steering components. The buses were taken out of operation until the violations were fixed.
- On one occasion, inspectors issued a driver citation. This could include violations like exceeding the legal driving limit, not taking required breaks or driving with an invalid commercial driver’s license.
- In both categories, M&Y Tour Inc. fared better than the national average for out of service rates.
Includes reporting by USA Today Network reporter Emily Barnes
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