Fifteenth passenger dies from casino bus accident.
- Thread starter shadroch
- Start date
My second car accident involved me falling asleep behind the wheel. Thankfully, this wasn't due to being over worked and not sleeping, but due to a previously unknown sleeping disorder that causes me to wake up for a few seconds about 70 times a night. Now I have a machine that takes care of that while I sleep, but falling asleep behind the wheel is no fun at all.
The first one wasn't my fault either! Girl speeding around a corner up a hill on the cell phone hit me as I tried to pull out from my school. I was 16, so I panicked and hit the break even though I was already in the path of her car. Thankfully, the insurance company saw the photos of the crazy long skid marks she left on the road and agreed it wasn't my fault. I realize this paragraph has nothing to do with the thread, but I feel the need to justify my rather......terrible driving record.
The first one wasn't my fault either! Girl speeding around a corner up a hill on the cell phone hit me as I tried to pull out from my school. I was 16, so I panicked and hit the break even though I was already in the path of her car. Thankfully, the insurance company saw the photos of the crazy long skid marks she left on the road and agreed it wasn't my fault. I realize this paragraph has nothing to do with the thread, but I feel the need to justify my rather......terrible driving record.
.. and a couple of survivors got right back on another bus to the casino... that's dedication!
http://nypost.com/2011/03/14/survivors-of-bronx-bus-crash-head-back-to-casino/
http://nypost.com/2011/03/14/survivors-of-bronx-bus-crash-head-back-to-casino/
I'll take my chances in my car with me driving over a bus. Although statistically buses in general are safer than cars in general, those statistics are skewed by the fact most bus travel is low speed, and many car accidents are the fault of the inebriated or incompetent driver. Being sober and competent decreases your chances of dying in a car you are driving tremendously.
From the article:
Bernardo Garcia, a 50-year-old cook from Brooklyn -- whose buddy Miguel Aquino was one of 14 people killed in Saturday's horrific 5:30 a.m. World Wide Tours bus crackup on the Hutchinson River Parkway -- told The Post he figured Lady Luck was on his side... "When a bomb goes off, it doesn't go off again in the same spot," Radulescu reasoned.
Gambler's fallacy. Classic! :whip:
Bernardo Garcia, a 50-year-old cook from Brooklyn -- whose buddy Miguel Aquino was one of 14 people killed in Saturday's horrific 5:30 a.m. World Wide Tours bus crackup on the Hutchinson River Parkway -- told The Post he figured Lady Luck was on his side... "When a bomb goes off, it doesn't go off again in the same spot," Radulescu reasoned.
Gambler's fallacy. Classic! :whip:
The driver is a convicted felon, having served time for both manslaughter and larceny( he stole a check worth almost $100,000) and at the time of the accident was awaiting trial for driving on a suspended license, illegal possesion of police radios and a few other charges. A truly ideal candidate for a job driving a bus interstate.
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I see these buses running to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun (and between NY/Boston Chinatowns) almost daily along the CT Shoreline. There are few vehicles I'd rather see next to me or behind me (police car with flashing lights comes to mind, Abrams tank...) than a casino charter bus. There may be some good bus drivers out there but you'd never know it from all the crappy ones you see: continuous hardcore tailgating (at 75MPH), abrupt lane changes etc...all with minimal training and a really big vehicle. They pretty much act as though they'll run you off the road if "you're in their way". I'd much rather drive next to a gasoline tanker, those drivers seem to take their jobs seriously. I talked about this accident with my coworkers today and it really didn't surprise anyone 
Glad you found a solution as sleep disorders can be debilitating. I fell asleep once on a bike (900cc BWM). Sounds absurd. But, I used to bike through the winter. It was 2am, the first warm day and I didn't have the cold air in my face to keep me awake. I'm told I hit the curb at a tee intersection at high speed, bike launched into the air, grazed the top of a car and rammed headlong into a building. Bent the frame of the bike. Cops arrived and one was about to write me up for a bunch of stuff; but I played Poker with cops in the precinct and it went away. (Long story.)
Another time, I flew from Sydney to Minneapolis. From there, I had to make it 90 miles to Rochester Minnesota. I had had enough of flying (9,000 miles), and rented a car. Bad decision. Jet lag, and nothing but straight roads, corn and wheat fields to look at, and religious channels to listen to. I think I drove off the road a dozen times. Of course, there was nothing to hit. Near the end, I was hanging my head out the window like a dog, trying to stay awake.
Worst was a bike trip from the top of Maine to Philly in what turned out to be the rain storm of the decade. On a pure-mud logging road in the north of Maine, I managed to rip off the front fender. So, the tires threw rain in my face most of the 700 mile return trip. Actually, when it was raining, it was OK. But, the pauses in the rain were worse, because then the water would evaporate, reducing my temperature.
Agree with AutoMonk and Thunder statistically. And yes, unions, like or dislike them, have added to safety. But, buses make me very nervous. I used to take the Philly to A.C. buses in 1978. One huge snowstorm, we were about the only traffic on the road. Made me wonder about the concept of gambling. And that was in my younger days, when I felt invulnerable.
Just relating some stories. As Sinéad O’Connor once said, “nothing compares.” I feel for the victims of this bus accident and have been watching the Japanese situation all day.
Another time, I flew from Sydney to Minneapolis. From there, I had to make it 90 miles to Rochester Minnesota. I had had enough of flying (9,000 miles), and rented a car. Bad decision. Jet lag, and nothing but straight roads, corn and wheat fields to look at, and religious channels to listen to. I think I drove off the road a dozen times. Of course, there was nothing to hit. Near the end, I was hanging my head out the window like a dog, trying to stay awake.
Worst was a bike trip from the top of Maine to Philly in what turned out to be the rain storm of the decade. On a pure-mud logging road in the north of Maine, I managed to rip off the front fender. So, the tires threw rain in my face most of the 700 mile return trip. Actually, when it was raining, it was OK. But, the pauses in the rain were worse, because then the water would evaporate, reducing my temperature.
Agree with AutoMonk and Thunder statistically. And yes, unions, like or dislike them, have added to safety. But, buses make me very nervous. I used to take the Philly to A.C. buses in 1978. One huge snowstorm, we were about the only traffic on the road. Made me wonder about the concept of gambling. And that was in my younger days, when I felt invulnerable.
Just relating some stories. As Sinéad O’Connor once said, “nothing compares.” I feel for the victims of this bus accident and have been watching the Japanese situation all day.
Waterrat said:
I see these buses running to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun (and between NY/Boston Chinatowns) almost daily along the CT Shoreline. There are few vehicles I'd rather see next to me or behind me (police car with flashing lights comes to mind, Abrams tank...) than a casino charter bus. There may be some good bus drivers out there but you'd never know it from all the crappy ones you see: continuous hardcore tailgating (at 75MPH), abrupt lane changes etc...all with minimal training and a really big vehicle. They pretty much act as though they'll run you off the road if "you're in their way". I'd much rather drive next to a gasoline tanker, those drivers seem to take their jobs seriously. I talked about this accident with my coworkers today and it really didn't surprise anyone
It would be great if there was some better motorcoach or train service to AC from the north that doesn't run on a senior citizen's schedule, but the schedule is so inconvenient I normally end up just driving.