3 Delaware County men killed in Route 1 crash in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania, police say
UPPER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- Three people were killed after a small bus rear-ended a truck and caught fire on the Route 1 Media Bypass in Delaware County on Tuesday.
A paratransit bus driver rear-ended a truck hauling a dumpster just before the Route 252 exit ramp. The bus then caught fire, a spokesperson for the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said.
The three people killed were all in the bus, the spokesperson added.
The driver of the bus, a 31-year-old man from Chester, was pronounced dead on the scene.
Passing drivers tried to pull two people from the wreckage of the bus via the rear door, but those victims were also pronounced dead. Police identified the two passengers from the bus as a 60-year-old man from Springfield and a 75-year-old man from Brookhaven.
"My heart goes out to the families, prayers for everyone involved," Theresa Fitzgerald, an Upper Providence Township resident, said.
The driver of the trash truck, a 36-year-old man from Brookhaven, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash was first reported just before 8 a.m.
Traffic heading southbound on the bypass was blocked all morning through noon. The lanes reopened at around 1:10 p.m.
Many drivers said they'll be driving more carefully following the tragic crash.
"Just be cautious when turning and entering the highway and everything, always yield to the other people," Jimmy Kelly said.
Multiple agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, are investigating the crash, officials said.
Police said both vehicles are being inspected to ensure there were no mechanical issues that could have caused the crash. Investigators are also working to recover possible camera footage and technology from both vehicles that could help determine the cause of the crash, though that technology might be destroyed.
An officer was involved in a crash while responding to the scene, but everyone was OK.
"It's brutal"
DELGO Community Transit owns the bus involved in the crash, and the CEO of the company said his organization is in shock.
"It's brutal," said Nick Miccarelli, who's the CEO of DELGO Community Transit. "We pride ourselves on safely delivering our clients. That didn't happen today."
Miccarelli and other employees at DELGO are mourning the loss of a driver and two customers. He said he found out this morning after getting a message from his firefighter friend.
"We immediately sent our staff out as soon as possible. And, sadly, they found the worst," Miccarelli said.
Miccarelli says the route that driver took was one his drivers had taken thousands of times. While he did not release the name of the driver involved in Tuesday's crash, he did share some personal information.
"He's been here about nine months," Miccarelli said. "No accidents, clean driving record."
Miccarelli said he would be visiting with the family of that driver as well as the families of the two customers killed.
By Tuesday afternoon, police arrived at the DELGO office in Eddystone.
Miccarelli said he's never had anything like this happen before and is still trying to process it all.
"We're still trying to figure out exactly what happened, and we've heard reports of every kind," Miccarelli said.
"We take every measure possible to make sure something like this doesn't happen," he added. "But everyone understands, roads are dangerous. So we take all precautions we can."
This article has been updated to reflect which vehicle struck the other according to police.
