Dozens of Long Island High School Students Injured After Bus Strikes Overpass: Police
April 9, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
A charter bus carrying dozens of New York high school students returning from a spring break trip in Europe Sunday night struck a bridge overpass on Long Island, seriously injuring several passengers and mangling the entire length of the top of the bus.
The crash happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday on the Southern State Parkway in Lakeview, according to New York State Police. The westbound lanes of the roadway were open, but the eastbound lanes between exits 17 and 19 were closed for hours until it reopened about 5:30 Monday morning.
All 44 people, including the driver, on board the bus when it crashed were injured, police said. Two people suffered serious injuries, five more suffered moderate injuries and the rest suffered minor injuries, state police said.
Video shows teenagers sitting and standing outside of the white damaged bus, some draped in blankets, as firefighters inspect the wreckage. Multiple ambulances and fire trucks responded to the scene.
The bus that slammed into a bridge overpass on Long Island was bringing students home from JFK after a spring break trip, police say. Katherine Creag reports.
(Published 29 minutes ago)
The 38 students, ranging from 16 to 18 years old, from various Long Island high schools, along with five chaperones, had just returned from John F. Kennedy International Airport and were heading to a shopping mall in Huntington Station to meet up with parents, police said.
Police said the driver was being evaluated and did not seem to be familiar with commercial vehicle restrictions on the parkway.
The minimum clearance on the parkway is 7 feet, 10 inches and accidents involving vehicles striking overpasses are not uncommon on the parkway. In 2017, there were reports that an electronic alarm system would be installed on the parkway to warn drivers of vehicles too high for the overpass.
NBC 4 New York reached out to the New Jersey-based bus company, Journey Bus Line, for comment, but calls were unsuccessful. The trip was organized by a private tour company, EF Tours, according to police. Calls requesting comment from the tour company also rang unanswered.
The investigation into the wreck is ongoing.
Get the latest from NBC 4 New York anywhere, anytime
Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York
