A charter bus carrying high school band members crashed near Wayayanda, New York in Orange County on Thursday afternoon. Six buses were traveling to Greeley, Pennsylvania to attend a band camp when one of the buses went down a 50-foot ravine.
Two adults died and dozens were injured.
“The high school’s band director, Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and a retired teacher Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, were identified as the two people who died in the crash.” – PIX 11 reported.
WAWAYANDA, N.Y. — Two adults are dead after a charter bus carrying high school band members from Long Island overturned on Interstate 84 in Orange County on Thursday near the town of Wawayanda, about two hours northwest of New York City.
The bus was one of six carrying the Farmingdale High School marching band and their chaperones. The band — roughly 300 students in total — were all headed to band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania — a beloved tradition for the band. One of the six buses went through the wire barrier, down a 50-foot ravine and overturned.
It happened at around 1:12 p.m., just 40 minutes to their destination.
Authorities held a news conference on the crash Thursday evening. We brought that to you live on CBS News New York.
According to CBS Evenings: “A fatal bus crash involving a high school band in New York. Police say at least two adults are dead and dozens injured. Five students are in critical condition tonight after a charter bus went off the interstate and tumbled down an embankment about 45 miles northwest of New York city. Images from the scene show the bus on its side with the windows smashed out. We are told 40 students and 4 adults were on the bus, everyone taken to the hospital. Some flown to level 3 trauma centers.”
A 15-year-old student Anthony Eugenio was quoted: “I landed on my side. I had to, like, jump out the window. As soon as I picked my head up, the kid next to me was covered in blood. I saw blood everywhere.”
According to a preliminary determination, a faulty front tire could have caused the accident, but it is still under investigation.
According to the New York Department of Transportation, the driver was licensed, and the company that operates the bus had everything properly filed with the department.
