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Live TV



OPERATOR OF BUS INVOLVED IN FATAL NEW YORK CRASH WAS LISTED BY THE STATE AS AN
‘UNACCEPTABLE OPERATOR’ AFTER FAILING SEVERAL SAFETY INSPECTIONS

By Jessica Xing and Emma Tucker, CNN
Updated 6:08 PM EDT, Sat September 23, 2023

01:31 - Source: CNN
See aerial video of overturned bus on New York interstate

CNN  — 

The transportation company that owns the bus involved in a fatal crash in New
York this week while bringing high school students to a band camp was listed as
an “unacceptable operator” by the state after failing several safety inspections
since 2022.

New York State Department of Transportation records show the bus operator,
Regency Transportation Ltd., had failed five out of 15 total safety inspections
during the state’s 2023 fiscal year, department spokesperson Joseph Morrissey
said Friday. The agency conducts more than 150,000 safety inspections each year
as part of its bus safety program.

The bus was carrying about 40 students on Farmingdale High School’s marching
band from Long Island to a band camp in Pennsylvania when it careened off
Interstate 84, crashed through a wire guard rail and flipped over repeatedly
down the ravine in Wawayanda, about 70 miles northwest of New York City,
according to New York State Police Trooper Jason Lewis.

See more
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Obtained by CNN
Beatrice Ferrari, right, and Gina Pellettiere, left



Two longtime teachers, Gina Pellettiere and Beatrice Ferrari, were killed and
multiple students were injured in the crash, police said.

The bus was new to Regency Transportation’s fleet and was inspected by New
York’s transportation department for the first time in August 2023, according to
Morrissey. It had passed its semi-annual inspection and underwent four
additional random roadside inspections since 2021, Morrissey said, passing each
of them. One of those inspections was conducted by the state’s transportation
department, while the other three were done in other states.

Bus operators with a 25% or higher out-of-service rate, or vehicles that fail
inspection, are rated “unacceptable,” according to the transportation agency.
Regency Transportation Ltd.’s rate was 33% in the state’s 2023 fiscal year,
department records show.



Obtained by CNN
Gina Pellettiere, left, and Beatrice Ferrari, right

'They were crying ... asking for their parents': Trooper describes horror after
bus falls down a ravine, killing 2 and injuring at least 18



Operators listed under the “unacceptable” category are required to undergo at
least two comprehensive safety inspections every year. They also may face a
number of “corrective actions,” including violation notices leading to civil
penalties and the suspension or revocation of interstate operating authority,
according to New York’s transportation department.

Other buses operated by the company failed seven safety inspections over the
past two years, Morrissey confirmed to CNN. Most of the problems investigators
identified were related to braking systems, and those buses were immediately
taken out of service “until rectified by the operator and verified by our
inspectors,” Morrissey told CNN. Investigators also identified recordkeeping and
rear axle issues on a few of them, he added.

Regency Transportation Ltd. did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.

Preliminary information suggests a faulty front tire may have contributed to the
crash, authorities said Thursday evening.

But the investigation continues, and a team from the National Transportation
Safety Board arrived Friday to probe what led up to the tragedy.

The agency, as of Friday, hadn’t yet spoken with the driver of the bus but was
planning to as soon as possible, depending on her injuries, NTSB Investigator in
Charge John Humm said during a Friday news conference. Humm said he didn’t know
the status of her condition.

A team of seven NTSB investigators will remain at the crash site for the next
few days, aiming to zero in on factors that may have led to the crash, Humm
said. They will also work to determine whether the bus had a dash camera.

CNN’s Holly Yan, Caroll Alvarado and Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.

View on CNN



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