On July 3, 2013, nine people were injured after a chain reaction crash between two buses and a tractor-trailer took place on Southbound Interstate 95. The accident backed up traffic for well over twenty miles.
State police records state, “the accident took place shortly before 10 a.m., when an unknown vehicle cut off the tractor-trailer in the center lane. Both the driver of the truck, owned by New Jersey-based C&J Appliances and the driver of a Dartmouth Coach bus slowed suddenly. The driver of the second bus, owned by Autocar Preference Limited in Quebec, tried to stop, but couldn’t brake in time and hit the Dartmouth Coach from behind. The impact slammed the Coach bus into the tractor trailer.”
A driver in a vehicle following the bus also could not stop their vehicle in time, and they crashed into the back of the bus
Over the past few years, charter bus companies have come under great scrutiny. The closer look at the industry came as a result of a 2011 crash involving fifteen passengers traveling from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville to Chinatown in New York City. The accident happened at the exit sign on I-95 in the Bronx.
Nancy Laren, a passenger on the bus told media, “I was looking out the window and I felt the bus put on the brakes and he kept strengthening on the brakes. I remember hitting my head.”
The accident backed up for miles and caused major issues for surrounding roadways.
The drivers of the bus, car, and tractor-trailer were taken to the hospital with complaints of pain. Three passengers in the car and three passengers on the bus were also taken to local hospitals. The injured included three adults and two teenagers, who were taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center where they were listed in stable condition.
Fifty-six passengers a board the bus refused medical attention.
The driver of the Quebec bus and the driver of the Dodge were both issued citations for following too closely.
Laren was on the bus headed to visit family that lived on Long Island for the holiday weekend. She did not get a long weekend with her family because Bridgeport Hospital kept her for observation.
Once released Laren decided to go home, “I just want to go home. I’m in too much pain. I just want to go home.”
Ken Hunter, Operations director for Dartmouth Coach, Ken Hunter said in a statement that, “Twenty-three people were on board his company’s bus, and that Laren and the two other passengers who went to the hospital did so as “a precautionary measure. None appear to have been seriously injured and we expect that they’ll be released shortly if they haven’t been yet.”
This was a daily run from New Hampshire to New York for the bus.
Emergency crews and firefighters from several towns were at the scene within minutes of the crash. A hazardous materials team was dispatched to the crash site from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.