Watch CBS News

Cops Probe Driver's Use Of GPS In Bus Crash

SALINA, N.Y. (AP) -- Authorities said the driver of a double-decker bus was distracted by his own global positioning system device when he drove the vehicle into a railroad bridge over a suburban Syracuse road, killing four passengers.

Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh told the Post-Standard of Syracuse and WSTM-TV that 59-year-old John Tomaszewski was using his personal GPS device and not the system installed on Megabus when it hit the bridge over the Onondaga Lake Parkway early Saturday morning.

Walsh said investigators were trying to determine whether Tomaszewki was holding the device or merely listening to it at the time of the crash.

Police said the bus was too tall for he bridge's 10-foot, 9-inch clearance.

Officials said Tomaszewki hit the bridge after making a wrong turn off Interstate 81.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.