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Chinatown Bus Company Shut Down After Deadly Crash

By Patrick Hedlund | June 1, 2011 1:22pm | Updated on June 1, 2011 6:23pm
The wreckage of a Chinatown-bound bus that crashed in Virginia Tuesday.
The wreckage of a Chinatown-bound bus that crashed in Virginia Tuesday.
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Virginia State Police

By Patrick Hedlund and Nguyen Thanh Tuan

DNAinfo Staff

CHINATOWN — The long-distance bus company whose Chinatown-bound coach crashed in Virginia, killing four passengers, was shut down by the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday.

North Carolina-based Sky Express was banned from making interstate trips by the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which cited its poor safety rating.

Sky Express has multiple violations in the areas of driver qualification requirements, drug and alcohol compliance, hours of service, and vehicle maintenance, the agency noted.

The bus was headed from North Carolina to New York City early Tuesday morning when it hit an embankment on the I-95 highway near Fredericksburg, Va., and flipped on to its roof, Virginia state police said.

The Chrystie Street offices of the Sky Express bus company, which was shut down by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Chrystie Street offices of the Sky Express bus company, which was shut down by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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DNAinfo/Nguyen Thanh Tuan

Four female passengers died in the wreck, while 54 others suffered injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, state police said.

Authorities identified the deceased as Karen Blyden-Decastro, 46, of Cambria Heights, Queens; Sie Giok Giang, 63, of Philadelphia; Josefa Torres, 78, of Jamaica, Queens; and Denny Estefany Martinez, 25, of Jersey City.

At least 20 of the passengers remain hospitalized in Virginia with serious injuries, authorities added.

Police cited driver fatigue as the reason for the crash, ruling out the possibility of any mechanical malfunction.

The driver, Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, was charged with reckless driving Tuesday in Virginia and released Wednesday morning after posting $3,000 bond, police added. His arraignment is set for Friday.

Employees at Sky Express's offices at 47 Chrystie St. declined to answer questions Tuesday, deferring to their Charlotte office. Calls to the company's North Carolina headquarters went unanswered Wednesday.

Passengers on another Sky Express bus originating from North Carolina expressed shock upon hearing about the carrier's safety record.

"I'm still shaken up about it — it's scary," said Tonia Geter, 29, from Long Island, who arrived in Chinatown Tuesday afternoon on a trip from Charlotte.

"I think my life was in danger. It's a sad situation."

The crash renewed calls by state legislators to pass a pending bill that would regulate intercity buses, in the wake of two back-to-back wrecks involving Chinatown buses that killed 17 people in March

The law would create a permitting system to regulate passenger drop-offs and pickups, as well as keeping tabs on the dozens of bus companies operating out of Chinatown. It passed in the state Assembly in April and is currently awaiting the Senate's approval.

Driver Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, of Flushing, Queens, was arrested and charged with reckless driving after crashing a Chinatown bus in Virginia Tuesday.
Driver Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, of Flushing, Queens, was arrested and charged with reckless driving after crashing a Chinatown bus in Virginia Tuesday.
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Virginia State Police

"Now is the time to end Chinatown's Wild West atmosphere," said state Sen. Daniel Squadron, who introduced the bill in the Senate, in a statement Tuesday.

"A permit system would provide the city with the information necessary to identify problems before they become tragic."

The news still did not deter some riders from trying to board a Sky Express bus in Chinatown, where myriad carriers drop off and pickup hundreds of passengers each day.

Rodney Williams, 39, a regular commuter between New York and Charlotte, was puzzled as he stood outside the company's shuttered storefront on Chrystie Street Wednesday.

"I usually sit in the front to keep an eye on the driver," said the former truck driver, who said he understood the challenges of the job. "If he dozes off, just [wake] him up to give a break or get a drink."