STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the fatal bus crash that took place on the New York State Thruway on Aug. 22.
The crash, near Pembroke in Genesee County, killed five passengers and injured dozens more.
According to the report, the crash occurred around 12:20 p.m., when a 61-passenger 2005 Van Hool T2145 motor coach was traveling east on Interstate 90. The coach bus, operated by M & Y Tours, Inc., of Staten Island, was returning from Niagara Falls and making its way to New York City, the board said.
Prior to the deadly crash, the motor coach drifted from the 12-foot-wide travel lanes onto the right shoulder, according to the safety board. The bus then shifted left and drove across both eastbound travel lanes into the 84-foot vegetated median, as indicated in the report. The motor coach once again re-entered the travel lanes, yawed counterclockwise and rolled onto its right side, officials said.
Following the crash, the bus came to find itself with its front end on the shoulder and edge of the eastbound roadway, according to the report.
Aboard the bus were the driver and 53 passengers. Of those onboard, five suffered fatal injuries, while the driver and 48 passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, according to the report.
The National Transportation Safety Board continues to seek out the probable cause behind this crash and all aspects of the rollover remain under investigation.
Previous claims by law enforcement
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the State Police said the cause of the collision was under investigation and noted that there were no impairments to the driver and no mechanical failure on the tour bus.
State Police Maj. Andre Ray previously said at a news conference that investigators believe that the driver apparently became distracted before losing control. He did not say how the driver became distracted, adding that the cause remains under investigation.
Ray also shared that passengers ranged in age from 1 to 74. The Associated Press reported that all five people killed at the scene were adults.
State police previously said most of the passengers on the bus were of Indian, Chinese and Filipino ethnicity and authorities brought in translators to assist in the emergency response.
At another news conference following the crash, Trooper James O’Callaghan said it appeared most people on the bus were not wearing seat belts.