Police: Bus Crash Caused By Driver Asleep At Wheel
Posted on Friday, 13 of November , 2009 at 5:08 pm
LAKE GEORGE—A charter bus from Montreal with 30 people on board crashed Friday morning on the Adirondack Northway between Exits 22 and 23 after the bus driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.
State Police said the accident happened about 8:45 a.m. when the bus, which had been traveling southbound, ran off the right side of the road just south of the Route 9 twin bridge overpass, struck a guide rail, veered off the guide rail across the southbound lanes and punched through two more sets of guide rails in the median.
The bus came to rest in the median with part of the bus in the left passing lane of the northbound side of the Northway. The driver, 56-year-old Christian Babin of Warwick, Quebec, who was not wearing his seatbelt according to police, was ejected from the bus and landed on the ground of the median, suffering numerous injuries.
Of the 29 passengers, all college students from Vanier College, only six complained of minor injuries. The students had been traveling to New York City for the day.
The bus driver was initially treated at Glens Falls Hospital but later medivaced to Albany Medical Center with a punctured lung. Police said that although the crash remains under investigation, it appears that the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel And will be receiving tickets for various vehicle and traffic charges including one for not wearing his seat belt and reckless driving.
Police said that 30 feet north of the crash site is an area with a steep drop-off at an overpass which would have seriously changed the outcome of the collision. When driving a large and heavy commercial vehicle with numerous passengers, the responsibility is immense and there is no place for fatigue, a police spokesperson said.
Lanes were closed down during the morning and afternoon hours, backing up commuter traffic as well. The New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, the Lake George Fire Department as well as Department of Transportation assisted at the scene as well. 11-13-09
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2009/11/13/northway_bus/
Category: Adirondacks, Consumers, Education, Police, Warren County
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