BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report on the deadly tour bus crash on I-90 in Pembroke in August.
The crash occurred around 12:20 p.m. on August 22. The NTSB said the bus left the travel lanes onto the right shoulder, continued left across both travel lanes, entered the median, reentered the travel lanes, turned counterclockwise, rolled onto its right side, and came to rest with its front end on the shoulder and edge of the road.
There were a total of 54 people on the bus, one driver and 53 passengers. Five passengers were killed and the driver and 48 passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
MORE: Read the full preliminary report here
The five people who were killed were identified as 65-year-old Shankar Kumar Jha of Madhu Bani, India, 60-year-old Pinki Changrani of East Brunswick, New Jersey, 56-year-old Jian Mingli of Jersey City, New Jersey, 55-year-old Zhang Xiaolan of Jersey City, New Jersey and 22-year-old Xie Hongzhuo of Beijing, China.
The NTSB said all aspects of the crash remain under investigation.
WATCH: Drone video shows large emergency response to tour bus crash
A passenger on the tour bus told 7 News reporter Derek Heid that he saw the driver take his eyes off the road moments before the bus overturned. Shoaib, who was traveling with his wife and three children from New Jersey, said he watched from his seat at the front of the bus as the driver for M&Y Tour Inc. turned around to reach for a loose water bottle before losing control.
“There was a small water bottle far behind him on the floor of the bus rolling. And he wanted to grab it from his driving position, not slowing down or anything,” he said. “He was trying to grab it where his head is not on the windshield anymore, looking back to the water bottle. That’s when he lost control and trying to overcorrect."
Shoaib spoke with 7 News on August 29 outside Oishei Children's Hospital, where his six-year-old daughter Elsa was undergoing surgery.
WATCH: Passenger: Driver was reaching for water bottle on floor moments before deadly tour bus crash in Pembroke
New York State Police said they are not ruling out the possibility that a loose water bottle may have caused the crash.
On September 5, the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation issued the following statement to 7 News:
"The NYSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation are not ruling out that possibility of a loose water bottle, however until all the evidence, including internal camera footage is reviewed combined with interviews, no determination will be made until that point. Warrants for the cloud based camera system have been made and the BCI are working with the company."
