NYC-Bound Bus Crashes In Virginia: 2 Confirmed Dead, Dozens Injured
March 19, 2019, 4:25 p.m.
The driver, a 40-year-old man from Staten Island, will reportedly face charges.
The Tao Travel-owned bus that crashed en route from Orlando, Florida, to NYC on Tuesday morning.
A charter bus headed from Orlando to New York City tipped over outside Richmond, Virginia, early Tuesday morning, leaving two passengers dead and dozens more injured.
According to NBC 4 New York, the driver was a 40-year-old man from Staten Island: He reportedly tried to exit I-95 in Prince George county around 5:30 a.m., running off the left edge of the ramp and flipping the vehicle onto its side, leaving the road littered with spilled luggage. Investigators are currently looking into what precisely caused him to crash.
Of the more than 50 people on board, one died at the scene and another died at a hospital, an official with the Virginia State Police confirmed to a Richmond CBS affiliate. At least 50 other passengers were admitted to area hospitals, and some remain in critical condition.
Investigation continues into cause of Tao's Travel bus crash in @PrinceGeorgeVa Tuesday AM on I-95 that claimed 2 lives & injured dozens. Charges pending. Bus was traveling from #Orlando #FLA to #NYC. @FMCSA on scene w/#VSP Motor Carrier Safety Team. pic.twitter.com/pT2Yg6EtGO
— VA State Police (@VSPPIO) March 19, 2019
A Massachusetts-based company called Tao's Travel, Inc. chartered the bus—number 9591, on its way from Orlando to New York City at the time of the accident—to an NYC company, NBC 4 reports. According to federal records, Tao's Travel has a satisfactory safety rating and no reported injurious crashes within the past 24 months.
As-yet unspecified charges are reportedly pending against the driver, whose name has not been released. Anyone who may have had a family member or loved one onboard the bus can call the Prince George County Emergency Services Center at 804-733-2659 in state, or 800-230-6977 out of state. (Chinese translation services are available.) Authorities will use Prince George County Central Wellness Center, located at 11023 Prince George Drive in Disputanta, Virginia, as a family reunification center. Once patients have been released from the hospital, they'll be sent there.
This story is developing, check back here for updates.
