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Pennsylvania Turnpike Crash: At Least 5 Dead and 60 Injured, Officials Say 5 Dead and 60 Injured in Pennsylvania Turnpike Multi-Vehicle Crash, Officials Say
(about 3 hours later)
Five people were killed and 60 others injured in a multivehicle crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike early on Sunday, an official said. Five people were killed and 60 others injured in a crash in southwest Pennsylvania early on Sunday, after a tour bus hit an embankment, starting a chain reaction that involved three tractor-trailers and at least one other vehicle, the authorities said.
The official, Carl DeFebo, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said two tractor-trailers, a tour bus and one passenger vehicle were involved in the crash, which happened about 4 a.m. near New Stanton, Pa., about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The bus, which was headed to Cincinnati on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, hit the embankment on a downhill curve in Mount Pleasant Township, about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania State Police said.
The bus owner said it had left from Canal Street in New York City, though the authorities said it had started its trip in Rockaway, N.J.
Two tractor-trailers hit the bus and another tractor-trailer then crashed into the first two, Trooper Stephen Limani said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a kind of chain reaction-type crash,” Trooper Limani said. “The vehicles are so entangled and it is such a mess.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the bus to hit the embankment.
The names of those killed were not immediately released. Trooper Limani said of those injured, two were in critical condition. He said most injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
Aerial footage showed the tour bus flipped onto its side and the tractor-trailers jammed next to it near the edge of a roadway amid pieces of debris. The back of one tractor-trailer, labeled FedEx, was ripped open, with cardboard boxes spilling onto the road.Aerial footage showed the tour bus flipped onto its side and the tractor-trailers jammed next to it near the edge of a roadway amid pieces of debris. The back of one tractor-trailer, labeled FedEx, was ripped open, with cardboard boxes spilling onto the road.
The tour bus belongs to Ohio Coach, according to a label on the side of the bus. Ohio Coach did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The tour bus belonged to a company called Z&D Tour, Trooper Limani said.
A woman who answered the phone at a location in New York City that Ohio Coach lists as a stop said she had heard about the crash but referred questions to another company, Z&D Tour. Reached by phone, Chen Dan Yu, who said he was the owner of Z&D, said the bus had been carrying 56 passengers — one passenger short of a full bus — and was headed from New York City to multiple destinations in Ohio.
Reached by phone, Chen Dan Yu, who said he was the owner of Z&D, said that Ohio Coach sold tickets for his company. He said the bus was carrying 56 passengers and was headed to multiple destinations in Ohio. A Chinatown-based company, Ohio Coach, sold tickets for the trip. Mr. Chen said Z&D had contracted with Ohio Coach for over three years. Ohio Coach did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
As of Sunday morning, he said he had been unable to reach the driver. He said the weather was to blame for the crash. “It suddenly started to snow,” he said. Mr. Chen said his bus company drives that route every day. Federal records show that Z&D has eight vehicles and 15 drivers and is based in Rockaway, N.J. Mr. Chen said he referred federal authorities to the Chinatown ticket office on Canal Street to confirm victims with a passenger manifest.
Federal records show that Z&D has 15 drivers and is based in Rockaway, N.J. No crashes had been reported to federal regulators in the past two years, according to the records. In the past two years, no crashes were reported to federal regulators, according to the records.
The area around the intersection of Allen and Canal Streets in New York City, where Mr. Chen said the bus departed from, is an established hub for Chinatown buses, as they’ve come to be known.
Ticket companies offer small waiting rooms and staff to bring passengers to nearby bus stops. Passengers are usually a mix of restaurant workers and other budget travelers, which at this time of year may include students. Trooper Limani said the passengers came from different countries, and some spoke Japanese or Spanish.
As of Sunday morning, Mr. Chen said he had been unable to reach the bus driver. He said the weather was to blame for the crash. “It suddenly started to snow,” he said.
Trooper Limani said that drivers had said “that the weather did start to change.”
“There was some precipitation that was coming down,” he said. “I’m sure that could have played a factor but we’re so early in our investigation.”
Craig R. Shuey, chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said at the news conference that crews had been treating the roadway since 9 p.m. on Saturday “in a cycle that probably put them through there every hour at least.”
“So they were cycling through, dropping salt and cinder as necessary,” he said.
Eighteen people, including 12 adults and six children and teenagers, were taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Somerset, Gloria Kreps, a hospital spokeswoman, said. They were treated and later released.Eighteen people, including 12 adults and six children and teenagers, were taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Somerset, Gloria Kreps, a hospital spokeswoman, said. They were treated and later released.
Thirty patients, ages 7 to 52, were transported to Excela Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, Tom Chakurda a spokesman for Excela Health said. Thirty-one patients, ages 7 to 52, were transported to Excela Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, said Tom Chakurda, a spokesman for Excela Health. Twenty-seven were treated and released.
Three of those patients were taken to trauma centers at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. A fourth patient was expected to be taken to the Presbyterian center, Ms. Kreps said. Four patients were taken to trauma centers at UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Mr. Chakurda said.
Eleven patients, ages 15 to 67, were also taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, where two of them were in critical condition and the others were in fair condition, said Stephanie Waite, a hospital spokeswoman. Eleven patients, ages 15 to 67, were also taken to Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, Pa., where two of them were in critical condition and the others were in fair condition, said Stephanie Waite, a hospital spokeswoman.
FedEx said in a statement: “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the individuals involved in this accident. There is no higher priority for FedEx Ground than safety, and we are cooperating fully with investigating authorities at this time.”FedEx said in a statement: “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the individuals involved in this accident. There is no higher priority for FedEx Ground than safety, and we are cooperating fully with investigating authorities at this time.”
Mr. DeFebo, the spokesman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, said it was too soon to say whether the crash was related to the weather. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, it said on Twitter. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, it said on Twitter.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike was shut down in both directions between the New Stanton and Breezewood exits.
Jeffrey E. Singer contributed reporting.