The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary findings on the August 22 tour bus crash that killed five people and injured dozens more on the New York State Thruway in Genesee County.
Investigators say the 61-passenger motorcoach, a 2005 Van Hool operated by Staten Island-based M & Y Tours, was headed from Niagara Falls to New York City when it left the roadway in Pembroke around 12:20 p.m. The bus veered onto the right shoulder, crossed both eastbound lanes, went through the grassy median, then swerved back across the road before overturning onto its side. It came to rest along the shoulder just east of mile marker 404.
Five passengers were killed in the crash. The driver and 48 others suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious.
The NTSB noted that the posted speed limit in the area was 65 miles per hour and described the Thruway there as a divided four-lane highway with wide shoulders and an 84-foot median.
Agencies assisting in the investigation include the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, New York State Police, the state Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Compliance Bureau, and the Thruway Authority.
The NTSB said the probe remains ongoing as investigators work to determine the probable cause and develop safety recommendations.
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