World Wide Tours bus crash
Encyclopedia
The World Wide Tours bus crash took place on March 12, 2011, resulting in the deaths of fifteen people.
The crash took place before dawn at about 5:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the New England Thruway
segment of Interstate 95
at the border between The Bronx
and Westchester County, New York
. The bus was returning to Chinatown, New York City
from Mohegan Sun
casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
. The bus swerved and collided with a metal sign pole, which pole ripped through the bus and tore off most of its roof. Thirteen passengers were killed outright, two died at hospitals and the remaining 17 people on board, including the driver, were injured.
Some surviving passengers have said that the driver, Ophadell Williams, fell asleep at the wheel. He was not charged initially, pending investigation. Williams said that he was awake and sober at the time of the accident. The bus driver
blamed the accident on a tractor-trailer that he swerved to avoid, causing the bus to flip on its side and crashed into an overhead highway sign which split the bus in half. He said the two possibly hit each other. Most of the passengers were Asians.
The crash triggered an investigation by the New York State Police
and National Transportation Safety Board
.
The truck driver was located by authorities, denied the bus driver's account and was cleared of responsibility. State officials revoked the bus driver's driving privileges after reports became public of Williams’s criminal record, which includes serving time that Williams had convictions of manslaughter and larceny.
The crash took place before dawn at about 5:30 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the New England Thruway
New England Thruway
The New England Thruway is a portion of the U.S. Interstate highway system and of the New York State Thruway, within and operated by the New York State Thruway Authority, linking New York City with New England, specifically with southwestern Connecticut...
segment of Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
at the border between The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and Westchester County, New York
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
. The bus was returning to Chinatown, New York City
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
from Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
. The bus swerved and collided with a metal sign pole, which pole ripped through the bus and tore off most of its roof. Thirteen passengers were killed outright, two died at hospitals and the remaining 17 people on board, including the driver, were injured.
Some surviving passengers have said that the driver, Ophadell Williams, fell asleep at the wheel. He was not charged initially, pending investigation. Williams said that he was awake and sober at the time of the accident. The bus driver
blamed the accident on a tractor-trailer that he swerved to avoid, causing the bus to flip on its side and crashed into an overhead highway sign which split the bus in half. He said the two possibly hit each other. Most of the passengers were Asians.
The crash triggered an investigation by the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
and National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
.
Preliminary NTSB findings
A preliminary report by the NTSB in April 2011 found that the bus was going 78 miles per hour at the time of the crash. That is far in excess of the 55 mile an hour speed limit, and is the maximum speed of the bus. The report found that the bus had been exceeding the speed limit on I-95 45 seconds before it veered off the highway. The report said that that there was no evidence of contact between the bus and a passing truck, as claimed by the driver.The truck driver was located by authorities, denied the bus driver's account and was cleared of responsibility. State officials revoked the bus driver's driving privileges after reports became public of Williams’s criminal record, which includes serving time that Williams had convictions of manslaughter and larceny.