What to Know
- The investigation is continuing into Thursday's deadly rollover crash of a Farmingdale school band's charter bus.
- Federal investigators from the NTSB arrived on the scene Friday morning to examine the wreckage and are expected to hold a news conference Friday afternoon.
- Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, were identified as the victims killed in the crash. Pellettiere, a music teacher at the high school, was in charge of the student band, and Ferrari had previously retired after decades teaching.
New York state and federal officials are continuing the investigation into the rollover crash of a charter bus on Thursday that killed two teachers and sent dozens of students from a high school band to the hospital.
The crash occurred just after 1 p.m. Thursday on I-84 near the Orange County town of Wawayanda, about 45 miles northwest of New York City. Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press conference it was "likely that a faulty front tire contributed to the accident, although this is still under investigation."
Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board began examining the wreckage of the crash on Friday.
“Our goal is to find out what happened, why it happened, and to make safety recommendations to reduce the chance that this sort of accident never happens again,” National Transportation Safety Board investigator John Humm said at a press briefing Friday in Middletown.
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Local
Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, were identified as the victims killed in the crash. Pellettiere, a music teacher at the high school, was in charge of the student band, and Ferrari, was a retired teacher.
Flags will fly at half-staff in Nassau County beginning Saturday evening in memory of Pellettiere and Ferrari, according to County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
"They were amazing people," said Mia Hayes, a Farmingdale High School junior. "She was a huge light for the school and I just feel such a tremendous loss for all of us."
The bus was one of six in a caravan taking the marching band, color guard and dancers from Farmingdale High School on Long Island on a beloved annual trip to a camp in Greeley, in northeastern Pennsylvania. The bus crashed about 30 miles away from the Pine Forest Camp, where the students were headed.
Eighteen people -- 16 students and two adults -- remained hospitalized as of midday Friday, according to Blakeman.
Grief counselors were on hand at the school on Friday and will be there through next week to help students and school staff handle the loss and trauma from the crash. A memorial was set up outside the school and continues to grow.
The bus involved in the crash was chartered by Regency Transportation and new to the company's fleet, according to the state Department of Transportation. The state agency said the bus was inspected in August when it was purchased by Regency and passed the semi-annual inspection. The bus was also subjected to four random inspections over the last two years and passed each inspection, according to NYS DOT.
Humm said investigators have not yet spoken to the female driver of the bus, but that they plan to.
Representatives of the company have not responded to requests for comment.
Hochul said the bus tumbled 50 feet down the steep slope in a wide median between the eastbound and westbound lanes of the highway. The bus came to rest on its left side, its roof warped. A ladder allowed rescuers to reach the windows.
Regency Transportation's buses failed seven routine, semi-annual inspections over the past two years, NYS DOT said. Most of the issues found in those inspection related to braking systems and the buses were taken out of service until the issues were fixed, DOT said.
The driver behind the wheel, according to the state's DOT, was properly licensed.
Federal investigators have not spoken with the driver yet but do plan to speak with her, said John Humm from the NTSB.
Humm said he and his team expect to be on the scene for up to a week.
State police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call Troop F headquarters at 845-344-5300. Investigators are also asking the public to check if they have dash camera videos that captured the crash.
Many of the 40 students on the bus were freshmen, Hochul said. “They endured. They were strong,” she said.
Students on the other buses returned to Long Island hours after the crash. Six area hospitals treated the injured.
Anthony Eugenio, who spoke to The Associated Press from a car as his mother drove him home, said his thought as the bus turned over and over was “This can't be real.”
Bruce Blakeman, the county executive in Nassau County, where Farmingdale High School is located, asked that people please "pray for the injured.”
