New York State Police Still Investigating What Caused Tour Bus To Roll Over Upstate On Thruway, Injuring 57
BRUTUS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There is new information on a rollover bus crash that happened west of upstate Syracuse this weekend.
Nearly five dozen people were rushed to the hospital, and CBS2's Christina Fan heard from the son of one of the victims.
"It was awful to see a sight of my parents just lying in bed," Juan Gil-Urrego said.
READ MORE: Tour Bus With Over 50 People On Board Overturns In Upstate New York
Urrego spoke to Fan in the parking lot of Upstate University Hospital, where he had been at the bedside of his mother, who was hurt in the rollover bus crash Saturday afternoon.
All 57 people on board were rushed to various hospitals.
His mother, Ximena Urrego, was one of the most severely hurt, suffering neck and head injuries.
"She got a big cut that goes from around like near the middle of her scalp down to her eyebrow," Gil-Urrego said.
Bus crash on I-87 NYS thruway southbound between exit 14 and 13, you can only hope everyone's ok :::(( pic.twitter.com/AEnw2FbMgV
— Kqmden (@Kqmden) August 14, 2021
The tour bus was headed from Poughkeepsie to Niagara Falls for a one-night stay, when it crashed on the New York State Thruway near the town of Brutus.
Gil-Urrego's mother was the tour operator. He said she was always trying to set up affordable trips for her community in Poughkeepsie.
"Even though she was not a fault in any way or form whatsoever, she was still the one running the event, so it hit her hard," Gil-Urrego said.
The driver was 66-year-old Fermin Vasquez with JTR Transportation in Poughkeepsie. Passengers said they don't know what caused him to suddenly lose control.
According to the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the bus company had a satisfactory rating. In the last 24 months, one driver received a violation.
New York State Police are now investigating the crash.
"They all say it happened so fast that they ... one moment everybody was fine. Then the other moment they were already rolling over," Gil-Urrego said.
For Gil-Urrego, the crash was, unfortunately, a familiar sight.
"My dad, this was probably maybe a little bit more than 10 years ago, was in a bus accident. It was a horrible, horrible case of déjà vu that you really don't want to relive," Gil-Urrego said.
He said he's grateful both times his parents managed to escape with their lives.
CBS2's Christina Fan contributed to this report.