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'VIRGINIA BUS CRASH KILLS FOUR'

 
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Mr. Linsky
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Joined: 16 Apr 2007
Posts: 5071
Location: BRENTWOOD, CA. - WOODMERE, N.Y.

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 1:59 pm    Post subject: 'VIRGINIA BUS CRASH KILLS FOUR' Reply with quote

Feds shut down tour bus company Sky Express after Virginia crash kills 4, injures 50

BY Lukas I. Alpert
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, June 1st 2011, 9:55 AM

Federal regulators have shut down the company that operated a New-York bound bus that crashed Tuesday in Virginia when the driver fell asleep, killing four and injuring 50.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has barred North Carolina-based Sky Express from operating interstate bus routes after violating multiple safety regulations.

Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, of Flushing, Queens, was charged with reckless driving following the crash that left the bus flipped over on its roof about 30 miles from Richmond.

"The driver was fatigued when he ran off the right side of the road," Sgt. Thomas Molnar of the Virginia State Police said.

Cheung, who was wearing a seat belt and only suffered a few bumps and bruises, was being held on $3,000 bond. He is cooperating with investigators, Molnar said.

Sky Express has an abysmal safety record, with four previous crashes - including one that resulted in a fatality, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records.

Sky Express has been the subject of four compliance investigations since 2008, records show. The bus company was cited for 46 violations related to fatigued driving, including three that were classified as serious, in the past two years.

A Sky Express spokeswoman did not return messages for comment.

The early morning accident paralyzed northbound traffic on Interstate 95 for hours as rescue crews raced to the scene and removed the victims.

The Sky Express Bus, left Greensboro, N.C. at 10:30 p.m. Monday. It was carrying 59 passengers when it strayed off a highway and hit an embankment around 5 a.m.

The company, which has 34 buses and employs 53 drivers, runs three buses daily from North Carolina to Chinatown.

Bus safety has become a hot button issue following a March 12 accident in the Bronx in which a motor coach returning from a Connecticut casino hit a utility pole, killing 15.

Following that tragedy, the feds did nearly 2,800 spot safety checks of passenger buses across the country from March 28 through April 6 - and yanked about 10% of the vehicles or drivers off the road.

Mr. Linsky - Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, New York


The Virginia State Police Accident Reconstruction Team and Motor Carrier Safety Team inspect a bus that was involved in a single-vehicle accident in Bowling Green, Va.
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JimmiB



Age: 81
Joined: 19 Apr 2011
Posts: 516
Location: Lebanon, PA

PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They have 53 drivers and were cited 46 times for fatigued drivers in the past 2 years? Why were they allowed to operate this long?
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