Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

David Karp/AP

Driver fatigue could be to blame for Bronx bus crash

Survivors say their bus veered to the right just before it was hit by a tractor-trailer, veering off-road and killing 15.

Updated, 15.28

INVESTIGATORS INTO SATURDAY’S bus crash in New York City, in which 15 people were killed, are trying to establish whether driver fatigue may have been to blame for the accident.

The 15 passengers lost their lives when their bus veered off the road, before flipping on its side and having its roof sliced off by a massive signpost in the Bronx in the early hours of Saturday morning.

AM New York reports, however, that while the National Transportation Safety Board is examining the bus for possible mechanical problems, it is also probing whether the driver had been too tired to take the wheel at the time of the accident.

Though driver Ophadell Williams claimed the bus had been struck by a tractor-trailer – causing it to veer off the road – police sources told the New York Post they could not find any evidence on the bus of a collision.

A truck driver told police the bus was moving erratically, though Williams passed breathalyser tests taken at the scene.

The bus, which was carrying tourists to the Chinatown area of Manhattan when the accident occurred at around 5:30am local time, had been travelling tourists from a casino in Connecticut.

Police are also still trying to identify one survivor who was critically injured in Saturday’s crash; the man, 50, has been unconscious since the accident and remains on life support machines.

He has not been able to speak, due to a breathing tube being placed down his throat, but officers fear that they will not be able to confirm his identify unless he wakes up and speaks to them.

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds