April 26, 2011 – Bronx, NY – When the preliminary investigation of a March 12 tour bus crash was concluded it was believed that a tractor-trailer clipped the vehicle and caused the fatal accident. NY1 News shares a report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that tells a different story now that further investigation of the deadly wreck has been conducted. The initial report stated that a tour bus traveling on I-95 was returning to New York City when it was clipped by a tractor-trailer. The driver, Ophadell Williams, claimed this event caused him to swerve off the road. The bus veered off the road, crossing the shoulder and struck a barrier, which caused the vehicle to tip over, sliding several feet as the roof sheered off. During the violent incident 15 passengers were killed. The new report released April 15 states that there is no evidence of a tractor-trailer involved in sparking the incident. There is no mention of a cause of the crash, but the NTSB has found that the World Wide Travel bus was traveling about 78 mph in the seconds before the crash, which is 23 miles over the posted speed limit of 55 mph on that stretch of I-95 south of Westchester County. This report is still a preliminary analysis but the NTSB is expected to release a final report “along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause” by next year. The driver has not been cited with any charges and has yet to comment on the new findings. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009 there were 1,156 fatalities as a result of traffic accidents in the state of New York.
To help raise awareness of traffic safety in the New York area, our firm will frequently publish blogs about traffic accidents that occur throughout the 5 boroughs and beyond. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in New York that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Among the most common types of traffic accidents in New York include:
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions;
- single-vehicle crashes;
- rollover accidents; and
- “distracted driver” accidents or crashes caused by intoxicated drivers.
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