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Fatal Chinatown Bus Was Speeding Before Crash, Report Says

Emergency personnel investigate the scene of a bus crash on I-95 in the Bronx on Sat., March 12.
Emergency personnel investigate the scene of a bus crash on I-95 in the Bronx on Sat., March 12.
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AP Photo/David Karp

By Patrick Hedlund

DNAinfo News Editor

MANHATTAN — The Chinatown bus that fatally crashed in the Bronx last month was traveling at maximum speed just before it wrecked, killing 15 people, a federal report said.

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary accident report showed the bus was moving at 78 miles per hour — its "maximum governed speed" — about 45 seconds before it veered onto the highway's shoulder and flipped, colliding with a road sign.

The bus was returning from a Connecticut casino on its way back to Chinatown about 5:45 a.m. when the deadly crash occurred.

The driver, Ophadell Williams, claimed his coach was clipped by a tractor-trailer, but investigators found no evidence of contact between the two vehicles. The driver of the tractor-trailer was cleared of wrongdoing in the incident last month.

According to the report, the bus's electronic control module recorded that the bus traveling "at a range of speeds" about 90 seconds prior to the crash. The bus did slow down after hitting its max speed right before the wreck.

The report noted that the bus was not equipped with any seat belts, except for the driver.