PEMBROKE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Newly released documents by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) show what events led up to the deadly tour bus crash in Pembroke last August.
The bus was traveling with 54 passengers, including a tour guide and the driver, when it crashed on the NYS Thruway near Pembroke in August 2025. Five people were killed, and the driver and 48 passengers sustained injuries ranging from minor to serious.
The new documents include details from an interview with the driver, Bin Shao, 56, in which he told investigators that a water bottle rolled up from the back of the bus and hit his foot.
Shao then went to say he bent down to pick it up and throw it away, but it bounced out of the trash can. He then lost control of the bus and tried to correct himself, which resulted in the bus rolling onto its side.
A passenger on the bus previously 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."
According to the documents, eight passengers were interviewed, and each said the driver did not do a pre-trip safety briefing. One interviewee said the only thing the tour guide said was do not walk on the bus.
The NTSB revealed there were only 59 seat belts for the 61 passenger seats on the bus.
Shao was charged with five counts of second-degree manslaughter and five counts of criminally negligent homicide back in March.
