Brandeis students want answers after fatal bus crash
WALTHAM - With debris from the accident still strewn along the crash site on South Street in Waltham, it's an impactful scene for Brandeis University students trying to comprehend what happened. "It's horrible, just horrible. I don't know what happened," said a graduate student who identified himself as Jimmy.
Another student who didn't want to be identified was one of the passengers on the shuttle bus that slammed into a tree Saturday night and decided to return to the site. She suffered a concussion and only wants answers. "I was thrown around the bus," she said. "I just want to figure out exactly what happened."
The crash killed student Vanessa Mark and injured 27 other people. So far there have been no charges.
The driver worked for Joseph's Limousine and Transportation in Medford, which provides shuttle busses for Brandeis students to Boston and Cambridge. The director of operations did not answer questions from WBZ-TV, saying, "We're trying to be super sensitive to the situation right now and can't comment."
The company has had 16 inspections in two years with a rating of satisfactory.
A staff member who visited the site said she hopes speeding or distracted driving wasn't a factor and thinks of the students involved. "They all touch you in some way," she said. "Even if you don't know them they're all a family."
Classes have been cancelled this week, but the university wants to support students who still remain on campus with a vigil Monday night to bring them together. "We know it's going to be difficult for students and the whole campus for some time. Long term support and taking care of the community is what we're focused on.