BRONX, NEW YORK, NY – The MTA is continuing its investigation into Thursday night’s bus accident in the Bronx that left eight people injured, according to the New York Post.
Officials said the driver of a BX35 accordian-style bus lost control while trying to turn from University Avenue onto the Cross Bronx Expressway shortly after 11 p.m.
The driver, 55-year-old Everton Beccan, missed the on-ramp and instead crashed into a guard rail, leaving the bus partially suspended from the overpass. The eight people hurt, including the driver, were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries.
The MTA said Beccan passed an alcohol breathalyzer test at the scene but did not cooperate with a request for a drug test.
Beccan, who has driven MTA buses for 11 years, denied the agency’s contention, saying “I did not refuse a drug test.”
Beccan was suspended without pay while the MTA’s internal investigation continues. He previously had a clean driving record and said that the bus accelerated when he took his foot off the gas pedal.
FDNY units are on scene of a motor vehicle accident at University Ave and the Cross Bronx Expressway in the Bronx where a tandem bus has crashed through the barriers and is hanging off the overpass onto the roadway below. There are nine civilian injuries reported at this time. pic.twitter.com/00YQ897hhs
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 15, 2021
Officials with the Transport Workers Union said the bus is equipped with a black box and cameras that will provide further evidence into the cause of the crash.
The MTA said it has yet to identify any mechanical reason for the incident, adding that speed is believed to have been a contributing factor.
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