Investigators describe the chaotic scene of a bus accident that left more than 50 people hospitalized in NY

NEW YORK – Authorities investigate bus accident that left 57 people injured On a freeway in New York on Saturday afternoon, an incident that was described by first responders as a chaotic place as they scrambled to remove injured people.

The bus was bound for Niagara Falls and crashed on New York State Highway I-90 around 12:30 p.m. Saturday near Weedsport in the Cayuga County town of Brutus, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Syracuse. More than 50 people were injured and taken to hospitals, the state police confirmed.

First responders from the area rushed to the scene, including Port Byron firefighters who were in the middle of a celebration of the department’s 150th anniversary.

A preliminary investigation determined that the bus went off the road for an unknown reason and rolled onto its side on the grass on the west side of the road. Almost all the windows on the bus had been smashed, Port Byron Fire Chief Corey Rooker told Syracuse.com

“I have been doing this for 30 years. This is something I’ve never seen in terms of the number of people injured, “Rooker said.

New York State Police posted photos on Twitter showing papers and other items around the overturned bus on the shoulder of the road.

Many of the injured appeared to be families with young children, Rooker said. First responders from various local units were assisted by Good Samaritans who stopped to help, including one person who left a dozen first aid kits, he said.

All 57 people on board the bus were taken to area hospitals, including the driver, identified as Fermin Vasquez, 66, of Wingdale, New York. The bus belonged to the company JTR Transportation from Poughkeepsie. People’s injuries were described from minor to serious.

Following the accident, the westbound lanes were closed for a time, but reopened about 6 hours later.

State Police are investigating the cause of the accident and had not speculated why the bus ran off the road.

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