Tour Bus Driver Ejected, Killed as Another Bus Fatally Crashes in New York Area

March 15, 2011 — -- A second Chinatown tour bus fatally crashed in a span of less than three days Monday night on the New Jersey Turnpike, ejecting and killing the bus driver, killing at least one passenger and critically injuring others, according to New Jersey State Police.

The Super Luxury Tours bus was headed south on the Turnpike from New York City's Chinatown to Washington, D.C., with more than 40 people aboard when it struck grass on the center meridian of the highway near exit 9, state police said. It then hit the overpass support, and went straight back struck across the road before hitting the embankment on the right side.

Passengers have told the state police they believe a tire blew out.

The state police said the accident is under investigation

The driver, Wei Wang, 50, of Forest Hills, Queens, was ejected through the bus windshield and died at the scene, police said.

Law enforcement officials added that it appeared the driver was not wearing a seatbelt as required by law and that allowed him to be thrown 15 feet to his death. He was new to Super Luxury Tours, but had worked as a bus driver previously.

Another victim, Troy Nguyen, 20, of Royersford, Pa., died at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., police said.

Nguyen was asleep in the back of the bus at the time of the crash, law enforcement officials said. He and a friend, both students and Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania, had taken the bus as a cheaper alternative to the train.

The remaining 41 passengers, including three children, were injured and taken to area hospitals for treatment; two are in critical condition.

The bus will be mechanically inspected by New Jersey State Police experts and all available data will be taken from electronics.

The bus owner, Super Luxury Tours, is based in Philadelphia, according to public records. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show that the company's vehicles have been involved in four crashes over the last two years the company has been flagged for intervention after wracking up driving violations that included unsafe speeds and disobeying traffic signals.