Death toll at 15 after NYC casino bus crash
At least fifteen people have died and several more are injured following a horrific bus crash on the New England Thruway south in the Bronx.
Passengers in the bus were being transported back from the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. The bus driver, who survived the accident, said a tractor trailer “clipped” the bus, causing him to swerve. The vehicle flipped before striking a sign, which nearly sliced the bus in half. A spokesman for the NYPD said:
“The stanchion for the sign, that supported it, kind of sliced through the bus, from the front almost to the very end and at passenger level.”
The tractor trailer driver did not stop after the accident occurred, and is currently being sought by poice. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the injured passengers are in serious condition:
“We have no minor injuries at this time, everyone is considered serious,” said Kelly, adding that the crash likely occurred at high speeds.
First responders described a harrowing scene, with dazed crash survivors milling about at the side of the busy inner-city highway. The NTSB has dispatched a 16-member team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
