All four people who were killed and the most seriously injured were seated on the upper deck of the bus (video).
Editor's note: This story was written by staff writers Charley Hannagan and Robert A. Baker. Staff writer John O’Brien and contributing writer Fernando Alfonso contributed to this report.
Salina, NY -- The double-decker Philadelphia-to-Toronto Megabus that crashed Saturday into a bridge over Onondaga Lake Parkway, killing four people, apparently missed a turn en route to a scheduled stop in Syracuse.
“He was looking for the Regional Transportation Center (on Park Street),” Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh said of the bus driver. “He was lost and unsure where he was.”
The crash of the 13-foot-tall bus into the 10-foot, 9-inch high CSX railroad bridge over the parkway early Saturday jolted snoozing passengers into a chaotic scene of blood and death, screams and confusion.
Reena Rai, 36, of Buffalo, was asleep. The crash woke her up. “The next thing I knew there was a lady on top of me and her blood was just dripping on top of me profusely,” said Rai, who hurt her back in the accident. “I yelled, ‘Help, help!’”
Late Saturday, Walsh identified three of the four who were killed. They are:
• Kevin Coffey, 19, of Manhattan, Kan., who was a student at Temple University. He was identified by dental records supplied by the family.
• Ashwani Mehta, 39, of India. Deputies talked to his wife earlier in the day and his identity was confirmed through fingerprints included in his visa, which the FBI provided.
• The Rev. Benjamin Okerie, 35, of Malaysia. He was on a speaking tour of the United States. His identity also was confirmed through fingerprints included in his visa.
• The identity of the fourth victim, an 18-year-old woman, was not released. Her family was traveling from New Jersey to make the identification.
Several passengers were hurt, including the driver, John Tomaszewski, 59, of Yardsville, N.J., Walsh said. Injuries ranged from minor to serious. Walsh said four remained in the hospital Saturday night.
All the dead and most seriously injured were sitting on the bus’s upper deck, Walsh said. Deputies have confirmed where all but one of the passengers were seated on the bus at the time of the crash. The only passenger deputies had not interviewed was a woman in critical condition, Walsh said.
Rai has ridden the Megabus before, and always sat in the front seat on the top level. On her trip back to Buffalo Saturday morning, she decided to try something different. “This was the only time I said, ‘Let’s try the back seat for a change,’” said Rai, who chose one of the last seats on the top level. “I was very, very lucky.”
Tomaszewski, who suffered a head injury, was taken to Crouse Hospital before being transferred to Upstate University Hospital because of the seriousness of his injury, Walsh said.
Sheriff’s deputies released a list showing 28 passengers plus the driver Saturday night. None of the passengers appear to be from Central New York.
Those hospitalized Saturday night were: Lo Wah Chu, 55, of Pennsylvania, in critical condition at Upstate University Hospital; Christine Alderman, 44, of New York City, in serious condition at Upstate; Carl Kerr, 51, of Pennsylvania, in serious condition at Crouse Hospital, and Mabel Tabb, 79, no home listed, in serious condition at Crouse.
Accounting for all the passengers throughout the day was difficult, authorities said. Adding to the confusion was the fact that passengers booked the trip on the Internet using e-mail addresses. The company was having a difficult time determining their home addresses, according to Don Carmichael, senior vice president of Coach USA, the bus operator.
The American Red Cross, which was assisting the passengers, reported the tally Saturday night as four dead, four hospitalized overnight, five staying at the Crowne Plaza overnight and 15 released to go home, Red Cross spokesman Richard Blansett said. That matches Carmichael’s count.
The Megabus was traveling north on Onondaga Lake Parkway when it hit the bridge at about 2:30 a.m. and rolled onto its side. The bus was en route from Philadelphia to Toronto, and the driver had been scheduled to stop at the Regional Transportation Center on Park Street.
Instead, the bus ended up on the parkway, which passes beneath the railroad bridge. That bridge has been the scene of numerous crashes with too-tall vehicles in recent years, though this appears to be the first time people died.
More coverage:
» Megabus passengers awake to crash, blood and cries for help (video)
» Police release names of Megabus passengers treated in hospitals
» Salina railroad bridge is often struck despite warning signs, flashing lights
» Driver of Megabus that hit Onondaga Parkway bridge was familiar with Syracuse route
» Upstate hospital, Red Cross mobilized an organized medical response for crash victims
» Your Comments: Breakaway bars won't work; we've tried that
» Photo gallery: Four are dead in Megabus crash on Onondaga Lake Parkway
