Police: Bus driver, 2 others ejected after hitting center barrier in deadly Turnpike crash
The driver of a tour bus involved in a deadly Pennsylvania Turnpike crash Sunday was ejected from the vehicle, as were two passengers, after it struck the center barrier at 3:30 a.m., state police said.
Shuang Qing Feng, 58, of Flushing, N.Y., was driving west in the left lane when the bus hit the barrier on a downhill curve near mile marker 86 in Mt. Pleasant Township. The bus then veered to the right, drove up a steep embankment and rolled over, according to investigators.
The bus, belonging to Z&D Tours of Rockaway, N.J., then slid back onto the road and hit the center barrier a second time before coming to a stop. A FedEx tractor-trailer hit the bottom of the bus, ejecting two bus passengers, Eileen Zelis Aria, 35, of Bronx, N.Y., and Jaremy Vazquez, 9, of Brooklyn, N.Y., police said.
The bus also was hit by a UPS tractor-trailer based out of the Harrisburg operating center operated by Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, Pa., and Daniel Kepner, 53, of Lewistown, Pa. They died at the scene, along with the bus driver and two occupants who were ejected.
A Mercedes-Benz car then hit the side of the UPS tractor-trailer and a second UPS tractor-trailer collided with the wreckage, trapping the car. The driver of the second UPS tractor-trailer and the Mercedes were not hurt, police said.
State police released additional details Monday about the chain-reaction crash early Sunday morning. The turnpike was shut down for nearly 15 hours.
“My client, Z&D Tours, want to extend their deepest condolences to the families of the individuals involved in this accident. Safety is the first priority for Z&D Tours and in all of their years of operation they always have run a very safe company. They are anxious to cooperate with any agencies investigating this sad incident,” said Dru Carey, attorney for Z&D.
Members of the National Transportation Safety Board did an initial investigation Monday on the extensive damage done to the five vehicles involved in the crash.
“I thought it was devastating,” said NTSB member Jennifer Homendy. “I imagine if you were in this accident that it was scary.”
Members of the NTSB already have preliminary information regarding inspection of the bus, which was completed Dec. 17 and did not identify any issues, and a recent review of the driver, which showed satisfactory marks, Homendy said.
Carey said federal Department of Transportation investigators were at the bus company headquarters most of the day Monday, and the company is fully cooperating in the investigation. She said the company has an excellent safety record.
State police also have recovered an engine control module from the tour bus that show engine performance, throttle position, speed, brake application and sometimes steering input. Information has not yet been recovered from the device.
Homendy added that an outward facing camera also was pulled from one of the tractor-trailers.
Moving forward, about 20 investigators from the NTSB will work to determine the cause of the crash with specialties in roadway design, driver performance, motor carrier compliance, mechanical aspects, survival factors and accident reconstruction.
The entire process could take up to two years, but investigators plan on releasing a preliminary report in about 10 days.
“This is going to be a very wide ranging, complex investigation, and we’re just starting,” Homendy said. “This is day one.”
Moving forward after the investigation, Homendy said she hopes to push the recommendation of seat belts and lap shoulder belts in tour and school buses.
“It is hard when you see accident after accident where a death or serious injury could have been prevented by a seat, lap shoulder belt in particular,” she said. “We keep recommending it, we’re not going to stop. … It’s frustrating and it’s devastating.”
More than 50 people, including the FedEx driver and bus passengers, were taken to hospitals across the region following the crash. Two were in critical condition. None of those suffered life-threatening injuries.
Turnpike officials said the road had been treated and was not icy.
First responders from three counties joined forces in the pre-dawn cold to provide aid at the scene of the crash, one of the worst turnpike crashes in Westmoreland County in recent memory.
Jerry Lucia is the longtime chief of the Mt. Pleasant Borough Volunteer Fire Department, which services that section of the highway for the Turnpike Commission. He said the crash was among the worst he’s seen in decades.
“It was really a challenge. We were lucky there weren’t more serious injuries,” Lucia said.
Scot Graham, special operations captain for Mutual Aid Ambulance Service, said 20 ambulances from three counties treated victims at the scene and transported them to hospitals in Somerset, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.
“The most seriously injured ones were off the scene very quickly. It was a very good response,” he said. “Fire, EMS, the turnpike and the state police all worked together under unified command.”
Police said many victims were from outside the United States and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
Graham said language was definitely a barrier at the scene, where some of the passengers on the bus spoke little or no English.
“We had to use family members who were on the bus to help with language,” Graham said.
Meanwhile, family members from outside the area descended on area hospitals seeking information on loved ones involved in the crash.
Excela Health Frick Hospital treated 31 people. Four taken to Frick were transferred to Pittsburgh hospitals: three to UPMC Presbyterian and one to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a UPMC spokeswoman said.
Eleven others were taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. UPMC Somerset received 18 patients.
Although dozens of survivors had made their way home by Monday morning, volunteers from the Red Cross still were on the ground at multiple locations attempting to assist families of those killed as well as families of those whose injuries kept them in the region.
“It is still a fluid situation. Our teams are still meeting with families who were affected either by injuries or fatalities. We’re also working with the National Transportation Safety Board and county officials as well as PEMA,” Red Cross spokeswoman Lisa Landis said.
State police are being assisted by the NTSB. NTSB officials are asking those involved in the crash to contact them at assistance@ntsb.gov.
Excela Health Frick Hospital Case Management has established a phone number — 724-237-6027 — for family members only, the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety said. The American Red Cross said anyone needing assistance stemming for the crash can call 800-Red-Cross.
Staff writer Megan Tomasic and freelance writer James Williamson contributed to this report.
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