A collision between a track-trailer and a tour bus early Friday morning near Waterloo, NY has killed the truck driver and sent at least 30 others to area hospitals. Officials say the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Interstate 90. There were 52 people on board the bus. Waterloo is about midway between Syracuse and Rochester.
Both vehicles were engulfed by flames. According to WSYR-TV, a soldier from New York’s Fort Drum drove up on the accident and helped people out of the burning bus. Although not officially confirmed, WHAM-News 13 reports one person involved said the bus had pulled off the freeway for 30 minutes for a possible mechanical problem. As it was pulling back on the road, the bus was hit by the truck. The accident follows last Sunday’s crash in upstate New York that killed two and injured 35. That crash occurred 45 miles from Friday morning’s accident.
According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 32 people have been killed and 323 injured in 17 tour bus accidents so far this year. In comparison, 30 were killed and 272 injured in 28 crashes in 2010 alone.
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