NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On School Bus Tragedy

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — New details have emerged about the tragic bus crash in September, as the National Transportation Safety Board makes its preliminary report available.

The crash on Interstate 84 in Orange County killed two adults and injured dozens of Farmingdale High School students on a band trip.

The NTSB report details the events of Sept. 21, around 1:12 p.m., but sheds little light on the cause of the wreck.

The 2014 Prevost motorcoach was traveling westbound on Interstate 84, near Wawayanda, when disaster struck. The bus, operated by Regency Transportation LTD, was taking 40 high school students and four adults from the Farmingdale School District to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, about 141 miles away.

Just after mile marker 12, the motorcoach departed the right lane, crossed the left lane and shoulder, and departed the westbound roadway, according to investigators. The bus then struck and crashed through a roadside cable barrier and traveled down the depressed earthen median between the westbound and eastbound lanes.

The bus eventually came to rest on its left side at the bottom of this depression.

During the crash, according to the NTSB report, occupants of the bus were ejected, including the driver and the two front-row adult occupants. Both front-row occupants were killed, and the driver was seriously injured.

The remaining occupants were taken to area hospitals for medical treatment.

The NTSB cautioned that all aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.

SEE ALSO:

• Federal Lawmakers Call For Crash Gate On I-84 After Fatal Bus Accident
• Farmingdale HS Marching Band Performs 2 Weeks After Tragic Bus Crash
• Thank You, 'Ms. P': Honoring The Music Teacher And Her Impact On Us
• Gina Pellettiere's Rise To Farmingdale Band Director
• Remembering Gina Pellettiere: Farmingdale Band Students Share Memories
• 'Life Of The Party': Beloved Farmingdale Music Teacher Laid To Rest
• 'The Most Beautiful Soul': Farmingdale's Bea Ferrari Mourned
• Fundraisers For 'Ms. P's' Son, Farmingdale Students Hurt In Bus Crash
• Farmingdale 'Deeply Mourns' Educators Killed In Bus Crash
• Pianist Raises $6.6K For LI Band Director Killed In Bus Crash
• Dad Of HS Band Student Files Suit Against Bus Company
• LI Students Critically Injured In Bus Crash In 'Less Critical Care'
• 2 Dead, Including Farmingdale HS Band Director, In Bus Crash