A bus crash in Rochester NY on I-490 leaves 28 injured, one seriously

Twenty-eight people were injured Thursday morning – one seriously – in a tour bus crash on Interstate 490 in the town of Chili, near Rochester.

And on Thursday afternoon, the driver was issued several traffic citations, including a citation for while driving while fatigued, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

“This was a very serious accident,” Deputy Chief Michael Fowler said at a mid-afternoon news conference outside Strong Memorial Hospital. In the accident, in which the bus was traveling at a speed of more than 70 miles per hour as it took off and then reentered the road, it turned on its side and slid on its side for about 200 yards across the westbound lanes of the highway before he stopped on the highway. freeway near Union Street around 7:10 a.m

First responders found the bus on its side, turned 180 degrees, with scores of injured passengers walking along the highway “in a state of confusion,” Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter said Thursday morning. “It was surreal.”

Officers have not yet determined a specific cause of the crash, but say the driver has been issued several traffic citations – for while driving while fatigued, unreasonable speed, unsafe lane changes and not wearing a seat belt, Fowler said. His name was not released.

The driver was among those injured in the crash and was thrown through the windshield when the bus overturned, but assisted passengers at the scene, Fowler said. His injuries were not “significant,” Fowler said.

The first deputy on scene tried to enter the bus through the windshield but was unable to enter, so he eventually entered through a small escape hatch on the roof of the bus, where a dozen more injured people were located.

A total of 28 people, including the bus driver, were taken to four hospitals in Monroe County: Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester General Hospital and Highland Hospital all in Rochester, and Unity Hospital in Greece, he said.

One passenger was seriously injured in the crash, Baxter said. That patient, whose name was not released, was removed from the bus by emergency workers at the scene.

More than 100 first responders were called to the scene — with 18 ambulances from Monroe and Genesee counties, authorities said at the news conference. New York State Police also assisted at the scene.

Fowler said the bus was traveling west toward Niagara Falls and had stopped to drop off passengers in Rochester just before the crash. The bus — operated by Tribal Sun Bus Company in Massachusetts — left New York City around midnight and traveled northwest, making stops along the Thruway throughout the morning, Baxter said.

The driver was cooperative with police, Fowler said, adding that officers had no reason to believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. Fowler said the bus company is also cooperating with the investigation.

Fowler said that due to the nature of the accident with a large number of casualties it will be treated as a criminal investigation, “not because we believe there was a criminal offence”, but to ensure that the accident involving a commercial vehicle and more than twenty passengers were involved, it would be treated as a criminal investigation. was thoroughly investigated.

The eastbound lanes of the highway reopened Thursday morning and the westbound lanes reopened by mid-afternoon, officials said.

The bus was towed from the scene on Thursday and taken to a secure location for a mechanical inspection. Deputies, along with state police, the Department of Transportation and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, will evaluate evidence, including video from cameras on the bus and other drivers in the area at the time of the crash. Bus and company data are also assessed. Fowler said he expected a “lengthy investigation.”

Any additional charges that might arise from the investigation would be assessed by the District Attorney’s Office, Fowler said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is participating

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Thursday morning issued a statement following the tour bus accident.

“Earlier this morning, a large bus carrying multiple passengers rolled down I-490 west of the city of Rochester. State Police and the Department of Transportation are on scene working with local first responders to conduct rescue operations. To allow first responders to do their work, I-490 is closed in both directions between Exits 4 and 3 and motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes. I join the people of New York in praying for the well-being of all involved in this serious incident and am deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of our first responders.”

A portion of the highway’s westbound lanes were expected to remain closed until at least Thursday afternoon while Monroe County sheriff’s deputies investigate the scene. The eastbound lanes were closed for more than two hours after the bus crash, but reopened around 9:45 a.m.