According to officials, a bus carrying scores of people went over on a highway in upstate New York on Thursday morning, sending more than two dozen people to hospitals and seriously wounding one person. There were no other cars involved.
“This was a very significant accident,” Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Michael Fowler admitted to reporters Thursday afternoon. “The bus left the roadway, reentered the roadway, eventually flipped, ended up on its side, where it slid probably approximately 200 yards before it came to a stop on its side.”
According to Fowler, the motorist received four fines for the incident: driving while drowsy, driving at an excessive speed, changing lanes unsafely, and failing to buckle up. The bus was traveling over 70 mph at the time of the collision, according to investigators.
“The driver was actually ejected through the front windshield, but the injuries were not significant,” Fowler stated.
Around 7 a.m., the bus flipped on Interstate 490 west of Rochester, sending 28 people to local hospitals, some with minor injuries, officials said.
At the site, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter informed reporters, “Deputies arriving on the scene found people that were trapped on the tour bus that had flipped on 490.” Emergency personnel “also found multiple people walking alongside 490 in a state of confusion that had been passengers on the bus,” according to him.
Read Also: Michigan Murder Case: Mexican Man Sentenced to 39 Years for Killing Girlfriend
According to officials, the bus was making stops en route to Niagara Falls after departing New York City at around midnight. According to Fowler, the rollover is still being investigated.
According to authorities, there was no sign that drugs or alcohol were involved, and the driver was assisting investigators.
“I join the people of New York in praying for the well-being of all involved in this serious incident and am deeply grateful for the heroic efforts of our first responders,” governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
