On Wednesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said the bus that crashed on March 12 in New York killing 15 people and injuring 18 others was traveling 78 miles an hour when it crossed a paved shoulder and hit a roadside pole. The accident occurred on Interstate 95 in the Bronx. The NTSB reports that while the bus driver testified that the accident occurred when the bus was hit by truck, no evidence was found to support that claim. Also, a video camera mounted on the motorcoach windshield did not record the accident. The impact drove the pole through the bus’s windshield, peeling off the roof panel from the body for nearly the length of the bus.
The NTSB said it is conducting a focused investigation on a bus crash in New Jersey two days later that killed the driver, a passenger, and injured 44 others, and on the March 22 crash in New Hampshire that left 25 injured. In both of those crashes, the NTSB is investigating the tour bus companies and their safety records.
The NTSB is convening a public forum on May 10 and 11 to review motorcoach and truck safety. For more, visit www.3ntsb.gov.