'A worst nightmare': Tour bus industry leader discusses safety after fatal I490 crash
Nov 08, 2024
CHILI, N.Y. (WROC) - The Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced one of the passengers from the I-490 tour bus crash in Chili died from their injuries late Thursday night, hours after the incident. The patient was treated at URMC and was originally listed in critical condition.
Several of the 28 total passengers remain hospitalized as of Friday evening, including four in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital.
The FlixBus tour bus was on its way to Niagara Falls from New York City when it flipped in Chili along I-490 Thursday morning.
MCSO declared a mass casualty incident, with hundreds of first responders jumping into action to render aid for all victims.
The driver was ejected from the Massachusetts-based bus and has been issued multiple traffic tickets and violations. Those include fatigued driving, unreasonable speed, unsafe lane changes, and not wearing a seat belt.
"It really is a nightmare scenario. We do everything we can as a company, and at certain times, certain things are out of your control," said Hadley Bos-Fisher, who serves as president of Niagara Scenic Tours, which operates buses out of Buffalo and Rochester.
Several years ago, Niagara Scenic Tours eliminated overnight bus trips altogether. Bos-Fisher said it came with some complaints from customers. However, he said the decision was made out of the best interests of customers, employees, and the public.
"We had always done it. It had been an industry standard. For the longest time, it's something we did not like doing. Customers had requested it, so we'd gone along with it. A couple years ago, we determined we did not think this was safe. We want to look out for our employees, our customers, and the public at large. We've cut out 2-5 a.m. driving because it's not the natural circadian rhythm of human beings. I like resting my head at night knowing we've done everything we can to make sure we are putting our employees and customers in the safest spot possible," said Bos-Fisher.
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URMC leaders discussed their treatment of patients in a news briefing Thursday, while also addressing steps taken to mitigate overcrowding in the emergency department. The issue has been seen in recent years at hospitals nationwide and locally.
Rochester Regional Health's Chief of Emergency Medicine addressed the same concept for their own network, and how it has been handled during this incident.
"All those patients coming in, that is the art of our team to balance that and figure out with everybody else coming in through other EMS agencies and other issues. [It's also those] walking through the front doors because the doors never shut. So, what you see is that constant influx of patients in addition to what happened at the crash. It's the constant balance that the team will do everything they can to ensure that timely care gets to everybody," said Dr. Keith Grams of RRH.
As investigators work to comb through evidence from the scene, including surveillance footage, those in the local tour bus industry want to make another message clear.
"This is a horrific incident that we never want to see. Passenger transportation through the motor coach industry is still one of the safest ways to travel. This is obviously a very disastrous, tragic event. But, I think the majority of the companies in the U.S. do a really great job at making sure they're protecting their customers, the public at large, and their employees," said Bos-Fisher.
While the investigation continues, Monroe County has stationed many of the discharged passengers from the crash at a nearby hotel as they work to reconnect with their loved ones.
The county has also established a Family Liaison Line for any affected relatives to call with questions at: (585) 753-4455.