A coach bus carrying Royal Jordanian Airlines crew from JFK Airport flipped over the median on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 16 at Greenpoint Avenue late Monday night, killing two people and injuring 20 others in a five-car pileup, according to reporting from the Queens Chronicle, the New York Daily News, NBC New York, and the New York Post.
The crash happened around 11:45 p.m. on June 29. According to the New York Daily News, the bus, a Freightliner S2 Luxury Mini Coach, was traveling westbound on an elevated stretch of the expressway next to Calvary Cemetery when it sideswiped a Honda Accord. The Accord veered into a Honda Pilot, and the bus flipped over the median into the eastbound lanes, where it struck a Toyota Highlander head-on. A GMC Yukon then rear-ended the Highlander.
EMS pronounced the 35-year-old bus driver and one bus passenger dead at the scene, according to the Queens Chronicle. The New York Daily News identified the passenger as Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, a Royal Jordanian Airlines employee. The bus driver’s name was being withheld pending family notification as of press time.
The FDNY transported 20 civilians to area hospitals: 15 with minor injuries, three with critical injuries, and two seriously hurt, the Queens Chronicle reported. At least one person remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon, the New York Daily News reported.
The bus was carrying 15 Royal Jordanian Airlines crew members, including two Thai flight attendants, from JFK to a hotel for the night, according to the New York Daily News and NBC New York. About 17 people in total were on the bus at the time of the crash, the Daily News reported, citing officials.
“The accident resulted in the death of one crew member, while the remaining injured are in stable condition and receiving the necessary medical care,” Royal Jordanian Airlines said in a statement published by the New York Daily News and New York Post. “The airline expresses its profound sorrow over this unfortunate incident, offering its condolences and sympathies to the family of the deceased, and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.”
The New York Daily News, citing a law enforcement source, reported that the bus driver was a Bronx resident with a criminal record including one felony and six misdemeanor arrests, and had been cited seven times for moving violations, including dangerous driving, disobeying a traffic device, running a red light, and improper turn. All seven citations were issued while driving a personal vehicle, not a bus, the Daily News reported.
Gasoline was leaking from several cars at the scene and one person was trapped in a vehicle before being extricated, the Queens Chronicle reported via the Citizen app. The median barrier was severely damaged. Nearly 100 emergency personnel responded, according to NBC New York.
The LIE was shut down in both directions for hours; all lanes had reopened by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the New York Daily News reported. The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad is handling the investigation, which the Queens Chronicle reported remains ongoing.
