PEMBROKE, N.Y. (WKBW) — New York State Police say they are not ruling out the possibility that a loose water bottle may have caused the deadly tour bus crash last month in Pembroke.
The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation issued the following statement to 7 News on Friday:
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.
This comes days after 7 News spoke with a passenger on board the bus that crashed on the thruway, killing five people and injuring dozens more.
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."
WATCH: A passenger on the tour bus that crashed in Pembroke explains what he saw moments before the deadly wreck.
Investigators have determined that the bus driver lost control of the bus, entered the median and crossed to the southern shoulder before the bus overturned, killing five people.
Those five people 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.
Authorities say the bus driver did not show any signs of impairment and the bus had no mechanical failure.
