Bus Driver In Deadly MIA Crash Issues Letter Of Apology
MIAMI (CBS4) - The bus driver behind the wheel of the chartered bus that slammed into an overhang at Miami International Airport, killing two and injuring more than two dozen others, is apologizing in a letter sent to CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald.
A relative of driver Ramon Ferriero sent the statement, written in Spanish, to the paper. In it, Ferriero said he is deeply sorry for the lives lost in the crash.
"I know there are no words of comfort for what happened, but my family and I are praying for all those affected and their loved ones," he wrote. "I'm emotionally and physically very shocked by what happened, and for this reason I ask you to respect my family's privacy during this difficult time."
The accident could have been avoided if the Ferriero had heeded the warning signs and pleas from his passengers to turn around. The accident happened after 7 a.m. Saturday, December 1st when Ferreiro tried to enter through the arrivals area of the airport.
The arrivals lane is marked with three yellow signs, one with flashing lights, which informs drivers that the overpass has a low clearance. A sign on the overpass reads "High Vehicles Stop Turn Left."
The bus Ferreiro was driving was approximately 11 feet tall. According to the Herald, when the passengers in the front of the bus realized he didn't make the turn and was going to go under the overpass, they urged him to back up and turn around, according to the paper who spoke the daughter of a passenger on the bus.
Ferreiro didn't, and slammed into the overpass.
The group on the bus was traveling from the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweetwater to West Palm Beach for a religious conference.
Jackson doctors said the group's religious beliefs played a role in how they were cared for in the Trauma center because Jehovah's Witnesses don't accept blood transfusions.
Ferriero has not been charged with any crime in connection with the accident.
(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
