Was NYC Bus Driver Falling Asleep?
May 16, 2011 | Transportation, Travel
As the New York State Police Department investigates the deadly tour bus crash in the Bronx, they’re reportedly focusing on whether the driver may have fallen asleep. Ophadell Williams was at the wheel of the World Wide Tours bus when he apparently lost control and crashed on the New England Thruway early yesterday.
The bus slammed into a guard rail, overturned and hit a sign post, slicing the roof off nearly end-to-end at window level. Fourteen of the 32 people on board were killed. Eight remain in serious condition at St. Barnabas and Jacobi hospitals in the Bronx. Injuries include severe head trauma and lost limbs. The driver remains in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“There were a number of traumatic amputations actually at the scene, which, according to our surgeons these are among the most egregiously injured patients that they’ve ever cared for,”s said Hannah Nelson of Jacobi Medical Center. “This was a very violent assault on the patients so that everyone has really worked very hard together.”
The driver told police he was trying to avoid a swerving tractor-trailer. But although State Police seized a tractor-trailer that could have been involved, sources tell the Daily News at least one passenger saw Williams nodding off before the crash.
This article was written by: Mark Muligan
