Multiple Victims in a Pennsylvania Turnpike Crash

 

On Sunday, January 5th, a charter bus lost control when it struck a concrete median barrier and swerved up an embankment before rolling down into traffic early in the morning.

Details of the Pennsylvania Bus Accident

According to WTAE, authorities reported that at least five people died and roughly 60 others were injured. Among the victims confirmed dead were a 9-year-old child and two UPS drivers.

The fatal accident occurred 30 miles east of Pittsburgh in Mount Pleasant Township and resulted in officials shutting down an 86-mile stretch of the turnpike in both directions between New Stanton and Breezewood.

On Monday the 6th, the National Transportation Safety Board released a statement indicating that the bus, which had passed inspection less than three weeks prior to the accident, was carrying 56 passengers. The bus’s trip began in Flushing, N.Y. and was heading towards New Stanton. It is not clear whether the bus driver was speeding, but vehicle did not have seat belts.

“We have issued recommendation after recommendation to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to have lap shoulder belts on motor coaches and other vehicles,” Jennifer Homendy said, spokesperson for the NTSB, she continued, “Those haven’t been implemented. Yet we continue to see accidents where passengers are ejected.”

Those injured were between the age range of 7- to 67-years-old. 31 victims were transported to Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant. By around midday, 27 of the 30 had been treated and released. None of these patients were under the age of 18.

Three adults and onechild were sent to a hospital in Pittsburgh. Monroeville’s Forbes Hospital treated 11 other patients, reporting two patients in critical condition. Somerset Hospital received 18 victims, 12 adults, and 6 minors, who were all treated and released.

The UPS drivers, Daniel Kepner, 53, and Dennis Kehler, 48, identified by a UPS spokesperson, were two of the victims who died.

In addition to the Pennsylvania natives who died, three New Yorkers perished as well. These included 9-year-old Jaremy Vazquez of Brooklyn, Eileen Zelis Aria, 35, of the Bronx, both passengers of the bus, and the bus driver, Shuang Quing Feng, 58, of Flushing, NY.

After the initial landing in the embankment, the bus slid and returned to the road before hitting the center median once again. This is when Feng was ejected from the vehicle. Aria and Vazquez were thrown from the bus when the bottom of the vehicle was struck by a FedEx truck.

A UPS truck then hit the tour bus, then a Mercedes hit the side of the UPS truck, which was also struck by another UPS tractor-trailer. It is unclear if weather conditions played a part in this pile up. More reports regarding the crash are to follow.

Bus Accident Statistics

  • In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported approximately 11,000 bus accidents resulting in injuries.
    • 22,000 people were injured in these accidents
    • 281 people were killed in these accidents
  • There were 109 fatalities involving a crash with a school bus in 2014 — the most of any bus type.
    • 83 fatalities involving a transit bus
    • 47 fatalities involving a cross-country, intercity bus
    • 11 fatalities involving a van-based bus
  • Of the 281 fatalities in crashes involving a bus, 44 were occupants on a bus.
    • 79 pedestrians were killed in crashes involving a bus (27.8 percent of all bus-involved crash fatalities)

Contact an Experienced Bus Accident Lawyer

If you or your child have been injured in a bus accident, contact Thomas J. Henry. Our team of experienced bus accident attorneys are available to evaluate your claim 24/7, nights and weekends. Thomas J. Henry has the financial resources and the track record of winning that you need in a law firm. Contact us today for a free case review. Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Austin, serving clients across Texas and nationwide.

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