PA Turnpike Crash: Speed A Major Factor In Wreck That Killed 5

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The driver of a tour bus involved in a 2020 Pennsylvania Turnpike crash in which five people were killed was going more than 20 mph than the recommended speed for the road, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed Tuesday.

During a lengthy online NTSB meeting, it was disclosed that the bus was traveling at 77 mph when it entered the curve in which it overturned. The typical speed limit for the turnpike is 70 mph, but the posted recommended speed for the area in which the crash occurred is 55 mph.

The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2020, on the westbound side of the turnpike about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. The tour bus lost control after passing the FedEx tractor-trailer, causing it to hit the concrete median barrier and forcing it up an embankment before it rolled onto its side.

The FedEx truck struck the bus, which was blocking the road, as did a UPS truck. A Mercedes Benz and second UPS truck also hit vehicles in the crash. The FedEx truck had slowed to about 21 mph when it hit the bus, but the first UPS truck was going at 71 mph and the second one was traveling at 69 mph.

The bus driver and two passengers died in the wreck, as well as the driver and passenger of one of the trucks that hit the bus. Fifty people were injured.

The full report on the accident, which is nearly 3,000 pages, can be seen here.

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