Over the weekend in New York, fourteen people were killed in a horrific tour bus crash on Interstate 95. The bus was returning from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut when it hit the guard rail, tipped on its side and slammed into a sign post that split the vehicle in half: Carnage on I-95 After Crash Rips Bus Apart.
Fourteen people were killed and at least six more critically injured when a tour bus overturned and slammed into a sign post next to a highway in the Bronx around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the Fire Department said.More here: 14 Dead as Bus Overturns on Bronx Highway. Based on what I've read, the crash site was described as a really grisly scene. Bodies upon bodies, like something out of horror movie. The passengers were largely Asian and Latino, and by late Sunday, several of the victims -- both dead and inured -- still had not been identified.
The bus “fell on its side and then hit a big sign for the Hutchinson,” said Paul J. Browne a spokesman for the New York Police Department, adding that the state police were investigating whether a tractor trailer truck had clipped the bus, causing the crash. “The stanchion for the sign, that supported it, kind of sliced through the bus, from the front almost to the very end and at passenger level.”
The accident happened as the bus headed south on the New England Thruway near Exit 14, the interchange with the Hutchinson River Parkway, just north of Pelham Bay Park. The bus was returning from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut and was headed to Chinatown with its first stop scheduled to be at Allen Street.
The driver survived the accident. The bus was operated by World Wide Tours, which apparently has a recent history of crashes -- four in as many years. Here's a story with some background on these overnight casino discount buses: Overnight Casino Trips Mean Low Fares for Riders, and Grueling Days for Drivers.
And here's an article on the devastating impact of the bus crash on New York's Chinese community: Chinese Community Devastated After Bus Crash.
