A tour bus carrying nearly 30 passengers from New York City to Niagara Falls overturned on Thursday morning resulting in multiple injuries. The incident occurred around 7:10am in Chili, NY, shortly after the bus had dropped off some passengers in Rochester.
According to Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter, the bus was transporting 27 adults and one child when it lost control on the highway. First responders arrived on the scene to find victims staggering across the roadway “in a state of confusion” following the crash. Two individuals had to be extricated from the wreckage.
A total of 28 people, including the bus driver, were hospitalized as a result of the accident with one individual continuing to be in critical condition. Sheriff Baxter described the scene as “surreal,” noting that it was a situation they had trained for but never expected to witness in real life.
The crash is currently under investigation as a criminal matter although authorities clarified that this does not imply any criminal wrongdoing. The bus driver, who had departed New York City around midnight, is cooperating with the investigation, and there is no evidence to suggest that drugs or alcohol were factors in the accident.
Dozens Injured as Tour Bus Overturns en Route to Niagara Falls