Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board released documents and presented its final hearing on the New York bus crash case. According to officials, the driver, Ophadell Williams was under a spell of fatigue and drowsiness while he was driving a speedy bus. Records state that instead of resting on his time off, he was continuously talking on the phone and would end up dozing or sleeping while on duty.
On March 12th, 2011, the bus was returning from an overnight trip in Mohegan Sun Casino to Manhanttan’s Chinatown. The crash happened in Bronx during the wee hours of the morning and according to surviving witnesses, Williams fell asleep while driving. He did not try to brake or steer the bus away from the edge and keep it on the highway. As a result, a tragic accident occurred that could have been prevented. The bus hit the guardrail, rolled sideways and crashed into an overhead sign post. The object cut through the middle body of the bus, killing affected passengers instantly.
Taking the bus on for 78 miles/hour and that too in a sleepy state, Ophadell Williams was deliberately playing with the lives of people on board. According to Deborah A.P Hersman, chairman of safety board, “Together, fatigue and speed are an especially lethal combination.” The accident could have been avoided had the driver practiced a proper routine instead of playing with his health and eventually with the lives of people he had been responsible for.
Ironically, not only was the driver responsible for such a mishap, but also the company that hired him. They did not take any action against him even though he had not maintained a proper track of his driving logs and did he follow safety controls. Ophadell Williams survived the accident but 17 people out of the 32 passengers were killed while the rest suffered serious injuries. Despite the driver’s licens e being suspended eight times and being dismissed from other bus companies, World Wide decided to hire him without performing accurate background checks.
In his defence, Williams claimed that he lost control because of another speeding truck coming up behind. Investigators were not able to verify this testimonial as per evidences, there were no trucks traveling near the crash scene.
If you or a loved one has been affected by a tragic accident as such, then it is pertinent you seek the help of an attorney immediately. Experienced experts like Fitts and Zehl can guide you through the process and help you claim compensation/treatment expenses from the responsible party.
