CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference Saturday in Cheektowaga to provide an update on their investigation into a recent bus crash. News10NBC’s Declan Stablow was present at the press conference.
The NTSB’s safety investigation is proceeding alongside the state police’s law enforcement investigation. The NTSB is examining several factors that may have contributed to the crash.
“We are particularly interested in issues relating to occupant protection and seatbelt usage, driver performance,” said NTSB Board Member Tom Chapman.
Chapman noted that the bus involved in the crash appeared to have seatbelts, but some passengers may not have been wearing them.
“So part of our investigation will be to determine the extent to which seatbelts were being used and the extent to which the lack of seatbelt use may have been a factor in some of the passengers being ejected,” Chapman said.
A law passed last year mandates that passengers aged 8 and older on a charter bus wear seatbelts. However, the state defines charter buses as those manufactured after Nov. 28, 2016. The bus that crashed was made in 2005.
“Whether that law would apply in this case is not clear to me anyway. That’s something we’ll be looking at and we may make some recommendations in that regard with respect to how that law might be improved,” Chapman said.
The NTSB is searching for data that could help determine the bus’s speed and the driver’s actions, such as the use of the brake and accelerator. Chapman said he would not speculate on the cause of the crash at this time.
In a statement released today, state police said there were no signs the bus driver was impaired or any mechanical failure. However, the NTSB said neither of those factors can be ruled out.
The NTSB said their investigative team will remain on the scene for up to six days, and they expect to publish a preliminary report in about a month.
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