57 people taken to hospitals after bus crashes on Thruway near Weedsport

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — A tour bus bound for Niagara Falls ran off the New York State Thruway near exit 40, sending more than 50 people to hospitals.

The bus landed on its side in the grass along the highway’s westbound side in Brutus, Cayuga County, near Weedsport, at around 12:45 p.m. Photos distributed by the state police showed papers and other items strewn around the white bus as it rested on the road shoulder.

All 57 people on board, including the driver who investigators later identified as a 66-year-old man from Wingdale, Dutchess County, were taken to hospitals. Injuries range from minor to serious, state police said. Some patients were taken for high-level trauma care.

The driver is one of approximately 26 people who were transported to Upstate Hospital for treatment of various injuries, state police said. Approximately 26 passengers of the bus were transported to Auburn Community Hospital, and several others were transported to Crouse Hospital. The passengers included children Auburn Community Hospital spokesperson Matthew Chadderdon said.

The tour bus from JTR Transportation based out of Poughkeepsie departed that area earlier in the day, state police said.

The investigation is still ongoing, and state police are asking for anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact Investigator Brad Holcomb at 315-539-3530.

The westbound lanes were closed for a time, but some later reopened. The right lane was still shut down more than four hours later, and traffic was backed up for miles, the state police said.