Five people were killed and dozens were injured when the tour bus they were on in western New York state careened out of control and flipped on its side on an interstate.
The bus was transporting more than 50 people on a return trip to New York City after traveling to Niagara Falls and the U.S.-Canada border when it crashed.
Multiple children were hospitalized but avoided serious injury, New York State Police Maj. Andre Ray of the New York State Police said Friday night.
The bus, also described as a charter, was headed east on the interstate in an area about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester when it crashed about 12:30 p.m., officials said.
State police said 52 were on the bus, with many trapped, rescued, and rushed to hospitals. Authorities later said that some of the injured were thrown from the vehicle.
Riders included people from the United States as well as from China, India, the Philippines and the Middle East, Ray said.
Translators were dispatched to the scene to help first responders communicate with victims, authorities said.
The ages and identities of the dead were unavailable. Detailed information, including conditions, for those injured was incomplete or unavailable.
New York State Trooper James O’Callaghan said the bus careened out of control, went into the interstate’s median, overcorrected, and ended up on its side on the south shoulder of I-90 with “significant damage.”
The section of roadway is part of the state’s 570-mile Thruway System of “controlled access” toll roads.
The vehicle was at “full speed” but did not strike any others before stopping on the interstate, O’Callaghan said. “It basically lost control,” he said.
Why remained a key question as evening arrived. Ray said the exact cause of the crash was under investigation, but troopers believe the bus’ driver became distracted.
“It’s believe the operator became distracted, lost control, and overcorrected,” he said.
The driver survived and was interviewed by investigators, authorities said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators who are expected to arrive late Saturday, the federal agency said. It will coordinate with state police and the New York State Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Compliance Bureau to find a cause, the NTSB said.
Officials at ECMC (Erie County Medical Center) in Buffalo said at a separate news conference on Friday it received 24 people with injuries, including two in intensive care, two in operating rooms, and 20 who were being treated or evaluated.
“I’ve been here 25 years,” Samuel D. Cloud, chief medical officer at the institution, said. “This is probably the most trauma patients we’ve had from one incident in my career here in Buffalo.”
The crash and its response prompted the closure of Interstate 90 but westbound traffic was allowed to use the section anew Friday night, with eastbound traffic expected to follow later in the evening.
