NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS 2006

Greyhound Investigation Moves Forward
'They could have had lesser injuries if they had been wearing a seat belt'
September 1, 2006

ELIZABETHTOWN — At least three agencies have initiated accident-reconstruction investigations in the aftermath of the horrific bus crash Monday night.

Officials observed there were no seat belts available for passengers on the Greyhound bus that rolled over on Interstate 87, killing five people.

ONLY DRIVER HAD BELT
"The only seat belt was on the driver's seat," said Maj. Richard Smith Jr., Troop B State Police commander in Ray Brook. "I don't believe any of the passenger's seats had seat belts."

Yet seats in the central portion of the wrecked bus were "structurally intact" after the crash left the bus completely upended astride a median ditch.

"In my opinion, they could have had lesser injuries if they had been wearing a seat belt," Smith said.

Instead, passengers became airborne with the rolling bus, and some were ejected through windows that burst on impact.

Greyhound spokesman Dustin Clark, from headquarters in Texas, said federal and state safety regulations do not mandate seat belts on motor coaches.

"No testing to date has proved that seat belts would save lives or prevent more serious injuries than they would cause," he said.

WINDOWS
Essex County Emergency Services Director Raymond Thatcher met with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board Thursday morning.

"Based on the condition of the bus," he said, "I also said they may want to consider the possibility of adding structural support to roof members and that the windows stay intact so people don't get ejected in the event of rollover."

Neither Smith nor Thatcher had a firm count of how many people were ejected from the bus compared to how many were pulled from the wreckage by first-responders.

"The individuals involved have not been questioned," Smith said.

But passengers flew through broken glass.

"A lot of the very large bus windows were broken in the crash, allowing the passengers to be thrown out."

Smith said the State Police Accident Reconstruction Team has not concluded its investigation, and he could not confirm how many times the bus rolled after leaving the Northway. Some passengers said it rolled three or four times.

INVESTIGATIONS
Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the Department of Transportation yard in Plattsburgh where the bus wreckage is being stored, conducting part of their investigation, Smith said.

"We will not necessarily consult with them (to merge data). They may take that tire (the one that allegedly blew) for forensic analysis to determine if it popped or not."

And State Police would include information about the tire in their report.

"We would include, for example, whether it was something on the road that caused the tire to fail or if it had a weak spot or had heated up."

And though police do not suspect alcohol or drugs factored in the crash, blood samples taken from driver Ronald Burgess, who was killed in the accident, were sent to the Forensic Investigation Center in Albany. Results from the blood tests will be available in a week or two, Smith said.

"There is no indication of any impairment on the part of Mr. Burgess."

Greyhound has contracted its own accident-reconstruction specialist to determine what caused the rollover, Clark said.

"But the main thing we're concentrating on right now is assisting the New York State Police with whatever they need for their investigation," he said.

CONDOLENCES
Clark said Greyhound's first priority was taking care of passengers in providing for medical costs, getting them to where they needed to be and reuniting them with their families and personal belongings.

All luggage has been returned, he said.

"It was a very tragic accident," Clark said. "We extend our deepest condolences to everyone that has been affected by this tragedy."

Smith called the bus crash the worst he's seen in 20 years.

And he praised Essex County's emergency response, calling it "one of the finest efforts I've ever seen in my career. The citizens of Essex County should sleep well knowing they have such a fine group of emergency-service volunteers in their communities."

By: KIM SMITH DEDAM

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