Authorities have identified five people tragically killed yesterday morning when a tour bus struck an embankment and triggered a deadly multi-vehicle crash along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the deceased include a 9-year-old girl from Brooklyn, New York, as well as the drivers of a UPS truck involved in the crash. Both men, ages 53 and 48, were driving together in an 18-wheeler out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The January 5th accident also claimed the lives of the 58-year-old tour bus driver from Queens, New York and a 35-year-old woman from the Bronx.
Tour Bus Hit Embankment and Flipped on Downhill Curve
The fiery crash occurred shortly after 3:30 a.m., along a curvy and mountainous stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near mile-marker 86. The fully-loaded tour bus was on its way to Cincinnati, Ohio from Rockaway, New Jersey, when it suddenly collided with an embankment in the westbound lanes of the highway.
“It was headed on a downhill grade, and the bus was unable to negotiate a corner,” Pennsylvania State Police Spokesperson Stephen Limani told reporters Sunday. “That bus went up an embankment, rolled over, and then was subsequently struck.”
A passenger vehicle and three 18-wheelers, including two UPS trucks and a FedEx truck, were caught up in the wreck.
“All of a sudden, I just heard a crash, and everybody started screaming. And then there were two more,” an 11-year-old bus passenger later told CBS New York. “I tried telling everybody to stay calm and calm down and stop yelling. I told them the cops were on their way.”
Close to 60 people were injured in the crash, including multiple children. While several of those victims suffered critical injuries, all are expected to survive.
Tour Bus Crash Witness Reported PA Turnpike was Slick with Snow
The Pennsylvania State Police and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a joint investigation into yesterday’s deadly accident.
Although tickets for the bus trip were sold out of the Ohio Coach office in Manhattan, records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) list the owner as New Jersey-based Z&D Tours, Inc. The company began operations in 2012 and hasn’t been involved in any accidents during the past two years. Z&D has apparently undergone a dozen inspections and, most recently, earned a “satisfactory” rating in November 2018.
Investigators are looking into a number of possible contributors to the crash, including wintry weather in the area. While a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission reported that the roadway had been treated prior to the accident, at least one witness told CBS New York that the highway was slick with snow.
According to Limani, accident reconstruction experts will use tracking devices within the vehicles, inspections of the vehicles and other evidence to pinpoint the cause of the accident.
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