Bus crashes on NY Thruway; over 50 people taken to hospitals

WEEDSPORT, N.Y. (AP) — A bus bound for Niagara Falls crashed Saturday on the New York State Thruway in central New York, sending more than 50 people to hospitals, state police and a hospital said.

There was no immediate word on the severity of the injuries, but some patients were taken for high-level trauma care.

The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. in the highway’s westbound side near Weedsport, a village about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Syracuse. Some 57 people were aboard, state police said.

The bus was headed from the Fishkill area, in the Hudson Valley, to Niagara Falls, and the passengers included children, said Auburn Community Hospital spokesperson Matthew Chadderdon.

Auburn received about 27 patients, including the driver, and was assessing their conditions, he said. Three were transferred to Upstate University Hospital, the area’s top-level trauma center. The designation denotes a hospital specially equipped to handle injuries.

Upstate, in Syracuse, received 25 patients in all, spokesperson Darryl Geddes said. He couldn’t immediately provide information on their conditions.

The westbound lanes were closed for a time but reopened by late afternoon.

It wasn’t immediately clear what company or agency owned the bus, or what caused the crash.