A tour bus carrying 52 passengers overturned on Interstate 90 near Pembroke, New York, on August 22, leaving five people dead and more than forty injured. The group had been returning from Niagara Falls when the bus veered off the road, crossed the median, and rolled into a ditch. Witnesses described a terrifying scene as passengers were thrown from the vehicle or trapped inside.
The victims include Xie Hongzhuo, a 22-year-old Columbia University student from Beijing, as well as Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, visiting from India, Pinki Changrani, 60, from New Jersey, and Zhang Xiaolan, 55, and Jian Mingli, 56, both from Jersey City. Emergency crews used helicopters to rush the injured to local hospitals, with Erie County Medical Center reporting one of its largest trauma responses in years.
Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James offered condolences and praised the quick response of first responders. The driver survived the crash and is cooperating with investigators. Authorities are examining whether distraction, fatigue, or mechanical failure caused the accident. Although the bus, built in 2005, had seat belts, investigators believe many passengers were not wearing them.
The National Transportation Safety Board has joined state and local officials to investigate the crash. Interstate 90 was closed for hours as crews worked at the scene. For the families of the victims and survivors, the trip meant to be a joyful visit to one of America’s landmarks has instead ended in tragedy.