Greyhound Bus From NYC Crashes In Pa. Kills 1, Injures Dozens
WHITE DEER, Pa. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Greyhound bus and a tractor-trailer collided early Wednesday in central Pennsylvania, killing a woman, critically injuring four other people and sending dozens to the hospital, authorities said.
The crash occurred at 1:45 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-80 in White Deer Township in Union County, state police said.
As CBS 2's Dick Brennan reported, the front of the greyhound bus was crushed by the force of the impact.
Greyhound spokeswoman Alexandra Pedrini said 45 of the 50 people on board, including the driver, were taken to five local hospitals.
The bus was heading from New York City to Cleveland and the driver has been with the company for more than 12 years, Pedrini said.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Matthew Burrows told 1010 WINS that the bus collided with the back of the truck's trailer that was hauling bales of garbage.
"The accident is being reconstructed," he said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Akos Gubica, 36, of New Jersey, described the chaotic scene in the moments afterward.
"The wrecked bus, everybody climbing out of the windows and a baby crying and the bus driver is screaming," Gubica said. "There was another guy that was trapped from my trailer being in the back of the bus and the trailer was actually in his lap."
Gubica said he helped get some victims off of the bus.
"I climbed in and helped people out the window," he said.
Pedrini said the company was cooperating with authorities in their investigation and was conducting an internal probe.
Geisinger Medical Center said four of the 17 patients it received were in critical condition, with two listed as serious and seven fair, while four had been treated and released.
Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg said it had received 14 people but was unable to immediately provide their conditions.
Lock Haven Hospital spokesman Jeff Johns said one of the three patients the hospital received was transferred, another was admitted and the third was treated and released.
Tracie Witter of Susquehanna Health Systems said 10 people were treated at Muncy Valley Hospital and released while five were treated at Williamsport Regional Medical Center and released.
Family members can call a company hotline at 800-972-4583 for information.
The westbound lanes of the interstate were shut down, but one lane of travel was opened just before 5 a.m. Wednesday.
This is not the first time a Greyhound bus from New York City has crashed in Pennsylvania.
In 2011, the driver of a Greyhound bus bound for St. Louis lost control on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, sending the bus careering across the highway and up an embankment before it landed on its side on the interstate.
The crash briefly trapped a woman and sent 14 people to area hospitals.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
