On Monday a tour bus hit a tractor trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, killing the bus driver and injuring 23 passengers. The accident happened when the bus slammed into the rear of a flatbed tractor trailer near the Donegal exit of the turnpike.
An article on HamptonRoads.com reported that the bus was operated by Mr. Ho Charter Service out of Pennsylvania and was owned by the New York company, New Oriental Tours. According the article, both companies have been cited for a number of safety violations over the past two years, including fatigued driving, as reported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
There have been other recent fatal crashes involving buses that have caused a federal crackdown on the discount bus industry.
In May four people were killed when the driver of a Sky Express bus headed to New York City fell asleep. In March, 15 people were killed when a bus returning from a Connecticut casino veered off a highway in New York City.
Federal regulators ordered Sky Express buses off the road after a deadly wreck outside Richmond. Less than two weeks later, a Virginia Beach-based company that had been leasing Sky Express buses for a route connecting Hampton Roads with Washington’s Chinatown reopened with buses registered to New Oriental Tours.
When we travel by bus, it’s often to give ourselves a break and to be able to relax during a long journey. We place our safety and our trust in the bus driver and the tour company. But sometimes the tour company is more concerned with the bottom line. If you are involved in a bus accident where the driver is at fault, you may have a case. Contact the attorney team at O’Connor Law for a free review of your case.