A 50-year-old New York bus driver is facing charges of homicide by motor vehicle after the private charter bus he was driving crashed in Northeast Pennsylvania. The man was accused of driving under the influence at the time. The bus was carrying Cornell University alumni and students on a trip from Ithaca to New York City on Oct. 14, 2018. As the bus traveled through Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County, it suddenly veered off the road before crashing in nearby woods.
The bus crash took place on State Route 380 in Pennsylvania's Covington Township. One 33-year-old woman, a 2017 Cornell graduate, was killed in the accident. A number of other people were injured, taken to multiple hospitals in the Moscow area of the state. On Dec. 27, over two months after the crash, the driver was charged with vehicular homicide and DUI as well as aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, 12 counts of aggravated assault by vehicle, driving under the influence of a controlled substance, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and traffic violations. The driver is being held by in Lackawanna County Jail on a $400,000 bail order.
While this case involved a private charter bus, many transit accidents involve public vehicles like Metro Transit Authority (MTA) buses, subways and railroads. A number of accidents take place every year in New York City due to negligent or dangerous driving by MTA vehicles and public employees. All of these vehicles are heavy and large, posing a significant danger to smaller vehicles, passengers and cyclists in case of a crash.
People who have been injured in an MTA bus accident may face catastrophic injuries and lifelong disabilities. A personal injury lawyer might be able to help people injured by a Transit Authority vehicle to seek compensation for their damages, including medical bills and lost wages.
