A tragic accident on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke on Friday afternoon left five people dead and dozens more injured after a tour bus carrying more than 50 passengers from Niagara Falls to New York City crashed and rolled over, according to state police. Authorities say the crash occurred just before the Pembroke exit when the bus lost control, sending the vehicle into the median before overcorrecting and rolling into a ditch on the right side of the roadway.
The impact was so violent that windows shattered, and several passengers were thrown from the bus. Trooper James O’Callahan, spokesperson for the New York State Police, confirmed at the scene that there were “multiple fatalities, multiple entrapments, and multiple injuries” as first responders rushed in with ambulances, fire crews, and helicopters to provide aid. Despite the severity of the accident, the driver of the bus survived, and investigators have since confirmed that he showed no signs of impairment and that the vehicle itself had no mechanical failure. With the cause still undetermined, state police are continuing to investigate what led to the sudden loss of control. Authorities revealed that the bus was carrying 54 passengers ranging in age from just 1 year old to 74 years old, with many of them tourists from India, China, and the Philippines.
Translators were brought in to assist with communication as victims were triaged and sent to hospitals across the region. Emergency crews deployed multiple ambulances and at least six medical helicopters, with Mercy Flight sending all three of its aircraft to help with the mass casualty response. Erie County Medical Center reported treating eight patients by mid-afternoon while confirming that several fatalities had occurred at the scene. Kaleida Health, which operates multiple hospitals in the region, said it received 20 patients across three facilities.
At Buffalo General, four adults were admitted, all in good condition, with one already discharged. Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital admitted 13 patients, including 11 adults and two children, with 10 listed in good condition and three in fair condition. Oishei Children’s Hospital received three pediatric patients; two were in good condition, while one was reported in serious condition. Kaleida Health praised emergency crews and hospital staff for their coordinated efforts, noting in a statement that while tragedies of this scale are rare, their staff trains regularly for such mass casualty incidents to ensure they are prepared when emergencies occur.
The University of Rochester Medical Center also treated six patients from the crash, three brought in by air ambulance and three by ground. Two of those patients were in critical condition, while the remaining four were listed as stable. In total, dozens of people required hospitalization, making this one of the deadliest and most disruptive crashes in the area in recent years. The New York State Thruway Authority closed a large stretch of I-90 in both directions for hours as investigators examined the scene and crews worked to clear the wreckage, causing significant traffic disruptions. Governor Kathy Hochul acknowledged the tragedy in a statement posted on X, saying she had been briefed on the “tragic tour bus accident” and that her office was coordinating with law enforcement and local officials to ensure victims and their families received the support they needed.
In response to the crash, the Red Cross set up a Family Assistance Center at the Amherst Senior Center in Buffalo to provide counseling and resources to victims and their loved ones. Officials urged anyone seeking information to call 716-626-3050. State police also asked the public for help, encouraging anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who has dashcam footage to contact their Batavia headquarters at 585-344-6200 as the investigation continues. The bus crash in Pembroke was not the only deadly accident in western New York on Friday. Earlier in the day, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a separate fatal crash in the Town of LeRoy that killed two young Florida residents.
Investigators said that 20-year-old Brianna R. Welsh of Apopka, Florida, was driving a 2014 Nissan sedan westbound on Griswold Road when she failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection with West Bergen Road. Her car collided with a 2018 Ford dump truck pulling a trailer. Both Welsh and her passenger, 20-year-old Mallen A. Mello, also of Apopka, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck, identified as 36-year-old Timothy E. Briggs of Piffard, New York, was not injured. Multiple agencies, including the New York State Police, LeRoy Police Department, LeRoy Fire Department, and Bergen Fire Department, assisted at the crash site, and the Genesee County Coroner’s Office is involved in the ongoing investigation.
These two crashes highlight a devastating day for communities in western New York, with lives lost, families grieving, and investigators working to piece together what went wrong. While authorities have ruled out impairment and mechanical failure in the Pembroke bus crash, questions remain about what caused the driver to lose control of a vehicle carrying dozens of international travelers. Meanwhile, the LeRoy accident serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers of failing to heed traffic signs. Both investigations remain active, and officials continue to urge caution on the roads as families mourn those lost in these heartbreaking crashes.
