Driver killed in NYC bus accident previously arrested for drunk driving
NEW YORK — The driver of the charter bus that collided with a city bus in Queens on Monday was a former city bus driver who had been fired two years ago after a drunk driving arrest, reports CBS New York.
The driver was among three killed when he struck a Metropolitan Transit Authority bus making a right turn. Sixteen people were injured.
The force of the crash sent the charter bus right through the front entrance of a fast food restaurant and cell phone store, killing the charter bus driver — the only person on board that vehicle, according to the station.
Police said another person walking by on the sidewalk was pinned and killed, as was one of the people on board the MTA Q20 bus. Sixteen others were hurt in the crash, including some who are in critical condition.
While the exact cause of the crash remains unclear, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said speed appeared to be a factor.
"The buses spun around," he said. "That requires an enormous amount of speed."
Sources told CBS New York that the driver of the charter bus ran a red light, and police are reportedly looking into possibility that he fell asleep behind the wheel.
The MTA reportedly confirmed that the deceased bus driver – identified as Raymond Ming – was fired by the agency in 2015 after he was arrested while off duty in Connecticut for drunken driving.
Police sources said Ming was arrested for driving drunk by Connecticut State Police in New Haven in April 2015.
Ming was fired once the MTA learned of his arrest from the Connecticut and New York departments of motor vehicles, the MTA said.
It was unclear when he was hired as a driver for Dahlia, the charter bus company to which the bus belonged.
According to the Department of Transportation, Dahlia has seven unsafe driving violations dating back to 2015, reports the station.