New York – Two buses collided during a horrific motor vehicle accident in Queens that left three people dead and at least 16 more victims injured. The bus accident occurred when a private charter bus was speeding through an intersection and hit a New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus that was loaded with passengers. Officials say that the private was empty from passengers and only the driver was in it at the time of the crash. The driver of that private bus was killed in the accident along with a pedestrian struck and trapped under the bus and a passenger from the MTA public bus, all of which suffered fatal injuries in the collision. In addition to these fatalities, emergency crews reported that another 16 people suffered various wounds from the bus collision, including passengers on the Q20 public bus and pedestrians nearby.
Members of the public have expressed outrage upon hearing that the driver who caused the crash had been fired from his job as a bus driver with the MTA approximately two years ago. Even more concerning was the reason for which he had been fired. Officials note that the driver had been a drunk driver in his personal car when he hit two other vehicles in Connecticut. He then fled the scene of that crash but was eventually arrested for that hit-and-run accident. Safety activists want to know why the man was allowed to retain his driver’s license, let alone a license to drive a bus. They warn that lax attitudes toward such dangerous behavior is exactly what leads to deadly crashes and pedestrian accidents such as this one. Additionally, they want to know if the private bus company did their due diligence in looking into the employee’s driving record and criminal history. Some feel that it is negligent to allow such a dangerous driver on the roads and be responsible for so many lives. Read this article for more on this bus accident.
Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo Credit: Ken [License]