LATEST: Connecticut Bus Crash: Driver Says He Lost Control on Snowy Roads

By Brian McCready and Feroze Dhanoa

A 63-year bus driver says he was merging lanes on Interstate 95 in Madison Monday afternoon when he “lost control on snow covered roads,” resulting in a major bus accident that sent 36 people onboard to area hospitals suffering from minor to moderate injuries, State Police said Tuesday.

Of the 36 people injured, seven were considered critical, and the critical patients suffered broken bones, trunk and internal injuries, a hospital official said Tuesday. Most of the non-critical injuries included bumps and bruises and contusions. 

Connecticut State Police released a report Tuesday detailing the bus accident, which drew national attention on Monday.

The bus, owned by Dahlia Inc., was transporting 55 passengers from Flushing, New York to Mohegan Sun Monday afternoon. The accident occurred just before 12:30 p.m. on I-95 northbound just east of Exit 61 in Madison.

The bus driver, who is a 63-year-old Flushing, NY man said he was trying to merge from the left to right lane when he lost control of the bus, according to State Police.

The driver struck the right shoulder metal beam carrier causing the bus to roll over sending 36 people to the hospital. The highway was closed for four hours before reopening around 5 p.m. Monday. The Madison area received about three inches of snow on Monday.

No citations or law enforcement action has been taken as of yet and State Police said Tuesday they are still investigating. According to State Police, all of the injuries were minor or moderate in nature.

Mark D’Antonio, a spokesman for Yale-New Haven hospital told Patch Tuesday that the hospital initially received 16 patients from the Madison bus crash.

Four patients were considered critical and admitted, and 11 non-critical patients were discharged, D’Antonio said. One non-critical patient was also admitted.

Also six patients transferred to York Street from Middlesex ED including three critical patients.

The Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center received 4 patients, and they were all non-critical, and two patients were admitted. The Yale-New Haven Saint Raphael campus received 1 patient .

D’Antonio said overall the critical patient’s injuries included broken bones, trunk and internal injuries, while non-critical patients suffered from bumps and bruises.

Live footage from the Connecticut Department of Transportation showed the bus rolled over on its side and lines of ambulances arriving to help. Numerous people were seen standing on the side of the road.

Passengers who were able to walk off the bus were taken to the Madison Town Campus and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident and numerous ambulances were on scene to transport the injured, Grant said.

Cody Chapman, a Mohegan Sun spokesman told Patch the bus was headed to the casino. Additional buses going to the casino from the New York area were rerouted or sent back. Chapman said on Monday that buses will be continued to be rerouted or sent back till conditions improve.

The bus is operated by VMC East Coast.

“VMC East Coast is very saddened that this has happened today. Our main concern right now is the safety and comfort of our passengers. We thank the First Responders who are helping everyone who was on the bus today. We pray that all our passengers are okay and will be safely returned to their families soon. We may release more information in the coming days,” company spokesman Glenn Ledet said in an email sent to Patch.

A bus operator profile compiled by the New York State Department of Transportation shows that Dahlia Inc. had one bus reported out of service in the 2014-15 fiscal year. A total of 32 buses were inspected. A representative for the New York DOT said all buses under the organization’s jurisdiction are inspected every fiscal year.

Dahlia received a satisfactory rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as of Oct. 2015. According to the FMCSA, none of the company’s buses were involved in crashes in the last 24 months prior to Feb. 7, 2016.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely and receive updates in real-time. Public safety is our top priority and our office continues to work with state agencies and emergency management officials to that end. Our thoughts are with those who are injured, and we extend our gratitude to the first responders who are working to protect the safety of all those involved,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement.

Return to Patch for updates on this breaking news story.

Image screesnshot via CT DOT