Dozens hospitalized after tour bus rolls over in upstate New York
Fifty-seven people were hospitalized after a bus exited the New York State Thruway near Syracuse and rolled over Saturday. Photo courtesy New York State Police/Twitter
Aug. 14 (UPI) — Dozens of people were hospitalized, including some with serious injuries, when a tour bus rolled over on an upstate New York highway Saturday, authorities said.
New York State Police said 57 people were transported to hospitals after the bus they were in ran off the New York State Thruway near the village of Weedsport, N.Y., and rolled over onto the grassy shoulder.
The crash site is about 25 miles west of Syracuse, N.Y., in Cayuga County.
Police said a preliminary investigation found that the bus was traveling westbound on the thruway shortly before 1 p.m. when it left the road for “an unknown reason” and rolled over.
Everyone onboard was hospitalized, including the driver, suffering injuries “ranging from minor to serious.”
The crash is still under investigation, authorities said.
State Police are investigating a serious injury rollover crash involving a tour bus on I-90 WB, in the town of Brutus, Cayuga County. The right lane remains closed just west of exit 40 (Weedsport), causing traffic delays of approximately 8 miles. pic.twitter.com/6EUICCHr0c— NewYorkStatePolice (@nyspolice) August 14, 2021
The company operating the bus remained unidentified Saturday evening but police said the vehicle was headed to Niagara Falls, N.Y., WABC-TV reported.
Weedsport Fire Chief David James told the Syracuse Post Standard that passengers were trying to escape the overturned bus with the help of passers-by when first responders arrived.
Twenty-five of the injured passengers were taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse following the accident, a hospital official said.