Tour Bus Crash on I-95 in New Rochelle, Many Injured

Written By: Robert Cox

A tour bus traveling from Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, CT to New York City crashed into a guard rail on I-95 South just above Webster Avenue in New Rochelle between Exits 15 and 16. New York State Police were called at 6:19 a.m.

24 people were injured and taken to area hospitals. None of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening.

Bus 1818 of the Star Tag bus company was carrying 23 passengers with one driver, according to New York State Police. Star Tag is based in Brooklyn.

The driver was the most seriously injured with head injuries, lacerations and body pain. Injuries to passengers include lacerations from flying debris and hitting the seat in front of them. The driver and most of the passengers taken to Jacobi Medical Center.

The bus hit the left guard rail and then the right guard rail before coming to a stop, according to police.

“The cause was likely driver fatigue and speed,” said New York State Police Sergeant William Collins of Troop T, New Rochelle Barracks.

Weather conditions may have also played a factor. The road surface was wet due to rain and high humidity this morning.

Collins said the National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and both NTSB and State Police investigators would be investigating the bus. The vehicle was towed to Vincent’s Garage in Mamaroneck, NY.

Collins said the crash appears to be similar to another tour bus crash which happened a few miles down the road near Exit 14 on I-95 in March 2011. In that incident 15 people were killed.

That incident, and several other prior deadly crashes, sparked greater government scrutiny of discount tour bus operators. A number of tour bus operators were shut down as a result.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer’s bill requiring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to create new safety ratings for low-cost discount bus operators and better disclosure of these ratings has now passed the full Congress and is headed to the president’s desk for a signature. Schumer originally proposed the legislation last year in response to numerous fatal crashes involving the discount tour bus industry, including a crash in the Bronx that left 15 dead. The legislation will ensure that passengers have an accurate representation of the company’s safety record when selecting their carrier so that consumers can make more informed decisions about which bus companies they should patronize.

“Bus companies are no longer be able to mask poor safety records and consumers are now able to see, before they purchase a ticket, whether the bus they are considering getting on is a safe one,” said Schumer. “This is a significant victory for consumers and will serve as a major incentive for operators to get serious about safety, or risk losing passengers.”

According to a statement issued by Schumer, the bill mandates that the Federal Motor Carriage Safety Administration (FMCSA) create a simple and understandable rating system that allows passengers to compare the safety performance of each bus company and to annually reevaluate carriers that serve primarily urban areas with high passenger loads like New York. The bill also requires DOT to improve the accessibility of these ratings to the public and to consider requirements that ratings be posted on buses, at terminals, and at all points of sale.Schumer is urging the FMCSA to make that safety rating plan a letter grade system, similar to that used in New York City restaurants, and to require that they be posted anywhere that a customer could board a bus or purchase a ticket. Schumer’s safety grade legislation was included in the Transportation bill that also included numerous provisions that allow federal regulators to crackdown on rogue operators and truly raise the bar for safety in the industry.

Passage of Schumer’s legislation comes on the heels of a year-long effort to overhaul the way the low-cost bus industry is regulated. Last month, Schumer joined Secretary Ray LaHood to announce a major sweep of rogue operators and last year successfully urged the National Transportation Safety Administration to do a top-to-bottom review of the FMCSA safety regime for the low-cost bus industry.

3 thoughts on “Tour Bus Crash on I-95 in New Rochelle, Many Injured”

  1. Notice the Chinese writing on
    Notice the Chinese writing on the side of the bus.

  2. Fatigue was the same cause of
    Fatigue was the same cause of the fatal bus crash on I-95 last year. These bus drivers, like truck drivers, are underpaid and overworked all in the name of company profits. It is time for the government to step and impose stricter hours of service rules on these drivers and their employers.

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