03/13/2011 // New York, New York , NYC // New York City Accident Lawyer // Jonathan C. Reiter New York City Bus Accident Lawyer
New York, NY— New York City has experienced the “worst lost of life” in any single accident since the American Airlines’ Nov. 12, 2001 crash in Queens, when early this Saturday morning a passing tractor-trailer caused a tour bus to overturn on the New England Thruway. Thirteen people were killed and 19 others were injured, with some sustaining critical injuries.
The New York Times reported that the charter bus, carrying 32 people, was headed back to Chinatown from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut when it overturned near the Hutchinson River Parkway exit in the Bronx at around 5:30 a.m.
The driver of the World Wide Tours-operated bus said the 18-wheeler clipped the bus from behind, which caused the charter bus to overturn and hit a sign post that nearly sliced off the entire top of the bus. The tractor-trailer then drove away from the scene of the collision without stopping.
“At least one person was decapitated, people were hanging upside down, and victims were gashed by flying glass and screaming in the darkness, struggling to get out. Some were thrown out onto the ground and others were trapped in a maze of metal,” victims recalled to the New York Times about the grisly crash.
Responding emergency medical crews arrived at the scene where they found 13 people dead as a result of their injuries. Six passengers were critically wounded, two were moderately injured and 11 others sustained minor injuries. The victims were rushed to St. Barnabas and Jacobi hospitals by emergency crews for treatment of their injuries.
The identities of the fatally wounded and hospitalized victims are being withheld at this time.
Police have now located the driver of the tractor-trailer and impounded the rig and the results of blood tests for drugs and alcohol are pending. It is still being determined if the bus was actually hit by the unidentified tractor-trailer, or if the bus driver, upon seeing the 18-wheeler, began to swerve on its own. As part of the investigation, video footage from a number of security cameras along the route will be examined.
World Wide Tours was recently under fire by federal regulators for issues with fatigued drivers. But, the company’s overall safety record still remains as “satisfactory,” according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
This is the second major bus accident to take place in New York in the last seven months. On Sept. 11, 2010, a double-decker Megabus traveling from Philadelphia to Toronto ran into a low railroad bridge on the Onondaga Lake Parkway in Salina. Four people were killed and five others were seriously injured in the bus wreck.
Leading bus accident lawyer Jonathan C. Reiter states if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an automobile accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages. With over thirty years of experience litigating the complex claims of car, truck, motorcycle and bus accident victims and their families, contacting the Law Firm of Jonathan C. Reiter with regard to your personal injury case may help you obtain the reparations you deserve.
Experienced New York City Bus Accident Lawyer
Jonathan C. Reiter
350 5th Avenue · Suite 2811
New York, NY 10118
Phone: (888) 464-1952
To learn more about New York City Bus Accident Lawyer visit: Website: http://www.jcreiterlaw.com
Photo Credit: CNN/ New 12 The Bronx
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Address: 350 5th Avenue · Suite 2811 New York, NY 10118
Phone: (888) 464-1952
Url: New York City Accident Lawyer
