On Thursday, September 21st, a bus crashed off the Interstate in Orange County, New York, killing two adults and injuring dozens of the other 40 students abroad. The bus was one of six transporting the freshman from Farmingdale High School to their annual Band Camp in Pennsylvania. The victims were Gina Pellettiere, 43, and Beatrice Ferrari, 77, who were both involved members of the school’s marching band (New York Times). According to the school’s superintendent, Paul Defendini, all sixteen students who were hospitalized after the crash are expected to recover (Whyy).
The transportation company, Regency Transportation Ltd, that owned the bus involved in the crash has a history of safety concerns. New York’s Transportation Department listed the specific bus as an “unacceptable operator” after failing 5 out of 15 safety inspections. The Department’s policy is that bus operators with a 25% or higher out-of-service rate, or vehicles that fail inspection are given the unsavory title. Regency Transportation Ltd.’s rate surpassed this, coming in at 33% (CNN). The company as a whole has had 42 inspections over the past two years which led to 25 violations. These violations include faulty brake lamps, improper emergency exists, and unclear markings for said exists (USA Today). Carl Berkowitz, an expert on highway safety regulations and investigations, defended Regency’s responsibility for the crash. He insisted that the violations the bus received must have been minor, as it would not have been allowed to be on the road had it received anything major. Berkowitz said that each bus has to complete a safety checklist before it leaves the lot, so it is more reasonable to assume that driver error or unforeseen road conditions were the culprit (USA Today).
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the reasons behind the fatal crash. The agency has not yet spoken with the driver or determined whether or not the passengers were wearing seatbelts. A preliminary investigation on the day of the crash suggested that a faulty front tire may have caused the accident, however, John Humm, who is overseeing the NTSB investigation, says that conclusion would be premature (USA Today).
