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Driver of Chinatown-Bound Bus Reportedly Indicted for Manslaughter

By DNAinfo Staff on August 31, 2011 7:44pm

The driver of a tour bus that flipped in the Bronx and killed 15 was reportedly indicted for manslaughter.
The driver of a tour bus that flipped in the Bronx and killed 15 was reportedly indicted for manslaughter.
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DNAinfo

CHINATOWN — The driver of a Chinatown-bound coach bus that crashed and killed 15 people on the way back from a Connecticut casino was reportedly indicted for manslaughter in the Bronx.

The driver, Ophadell Williams, was indicted for causing the deaths of the riders when he flipped the bus on I-95 in The Bronx on March 12, sources told the New York Times.

The Bronx District Attorney's office would not confirm the indictment of Williams. Indictments are always sealed until a charged person's arraignment in state supreme court. 

In late March, the federal government reported that Williams' version of events was not supported by evidence they'd gathered. Williams told authorities it was a collision with a tractor-trailer that caused the bus to flip at 78 mph in a 55 mph zone.

But the tractor-trailer driver told investigators he was behind the bus when it crashed.

Williams was believed to have been driving under aliases following a license suspension. He also has a criminal history that includes manslaughter and larceny convictions, the Times reported. 

Several surviving riders reportedly claimed that Williams was swerving and falling asleep before the horrific crash.

The suspect's attorney did not immediately respond to a call for comment.