Photo showing both crashed vehicles at final rest.

​Figure 1. Photo showing both crashed vehicles at final rest. Front end damage to the 2021 Freightliner straight truck is shown on the left and damage to the driver’s side of the 2013 medium size bus is shown on the right. (Source: New York State Police) ​

Fatal Cross-Over Crash between a Medium Size Bus and Truck

What Happened

​​​​This information is preliminary and subject to change.

Release date: 16​ February 2023

​​On Saturday, January 28, 2023, at about 6:02 a.m. eastern standard time, a 2013 medium size bus (bus) with 15 occupants and comprised of a Chevrolet Express chassis and a Micro Bird school bus body was westbound on New York State Route 37 (SR-37), in Louisville, St. Lawrence County, New York. The bus was owned by a solar farm construction company and used to transport workers to and from the work site. At the same time, a 2021 Freightliner M-2 106 straight truck with a 26-foot Morgan box, carrying auto parts, was eastbound in the opposite direction on SR-37. According to preliminary evidence, as the two vehicles approached each other, the box truck crossed over the highway centerline and collided with the driver's side of the bus. As a result, six bus occupants died in the crash, two were seriously injured, six had minor injuries, and one was uninjured. The truck driver, who was the only occupant in the truck, was seriously injured. At the crash location, SR-37 is a two-lane highway with a posted 55 mph speed limit.

Parties to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation include:

  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
  • New York State Police
  • New York Department of Transportation 

All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.       


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