Three people were killed and 15 others were injured on Monday when a MTA bus and a private tour bus collided in Queens, New York.
Firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash that occurred in the neighborhood of Flushing around 6.15am.
An MTA spokesman said the Q20 bus was making a right turn on Northern Boulevard when the private bus, run by Flushing-based Dahlia Travel and Tours, struck it and crashed into a row of storefronts.
One victim, pinned under the bus, died at the scene. Two others, among seven who were critically injured, died at the hospital. One of the victims was the charter bus’s driver, the NYPD confirmed.
One person is listed in serious but stable condition, and nine others suffered minor injuries.
Three people were killed and 15 others were injured on Monday when an MTA bus and a private tour bus collided in Queens, New York, around 6.15am
An MTA spokesman said the Q20 bus was making a right turn on Northern Boulevard when the private bus, run by Flushing-based Dahlia Travel and Tours, struck it and crashed into a row of storefronts
One victim, pinned under the bus, died at the scene and two others, among seven who were critically injured, died at the hospital. One of the victims was the charter bus’s driver, the NYPD confirmed
Images from the scene showed the Dahlia bus crashed into a Kennedy Pizza & Chicken while the MTA bus was facing the wrong direction on eastbound Northern Boulevard.
A small fire inside the building erupted following the crash which has since been extinguished, the FDNY said.
Video from the scene shows dozens of first responders swarming the two buses and firefighters using hydraulic extrication devices to free some of those trapped in the wreckage.
Heavy traffic delays were expected in the area as authorities canvassed the scene.
Authorities said they would look at surveillance video to help determine what caused the collision.
‘We’ve had a really tragic morning here in Flushing, Queens,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters at the scene of the crash.
‘Just shocking to see the scene over there, hard to compare it to anything I’ve ever seen — the sheer destruction from the impact of this collision.’
One person was listed in serious but stable condition, and nine others suffered minor injuries
Images from the scene showed the Dahlia tour bus crashed into a Kennedy Pizza & Chicken storefront. A small fire erupted following the crash which has since been extinguished, the FDNY said
Authorities said they would look at surveillance video to help determine what caused the collision
‘Just shocking to see the scene over there, hard to compare it to anything I’ve ever seen – the sheer destruction from the impact of this collision,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio (center) told reporters
This is not the first time a Dahlia tour bus has been involved in a serious accident.
In February 2016, one of the company’s buses rolled over en route to a Connecticut casino, injuring 14 passengers.
Additionally, the company appears to have an unsafe driving record. DNAinfo.com reported that, this year alone, federal records show Dahlia has been cited on three different occasions for speeding and failing to obey a traffic device.