Pembroke, N.Y. – The driver of a tour bus that crashed on the Thruway this summer in western New York, killing five people, has been arrested.
Bin Shao, 56, of Queens, was charged Wednesday with five counts each of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, State Police announced at a news conference in Batavia on Friday afternoon.
Genesee County District Attorney Kevin T. Finnell told reporters that Shao did not show any signs of drug or alcohol impairment. He declined to go into detail on the specific actions by Shao that led to his charges.
After the crash, State Police Major Andre J. Ray had said the driver was distracted but he did not say how.
At about 12:20 p.m. on Aug. 22, Shao lost control of the 2005 Van Hool Bus and Coach tour bus while traveling east on Interstate 90 in Pembroke. The bus went into the median, the driver overcorrected and the bus ended up on its side in a ditch on the south side of the highway, troopers said.
Five passengers died at the scene, while 49 other passengers were injured and brought to six different Rochester and Buffalo area hospitals. Nearly everyone on the bus suffered some injury, from bruises and cuts to more serious injuries. More than 300 firefighters, police, ambulance crews and others responded to the scene.
The bus, owned by M&Y Tour Inc. of Staten Island, was returning to New York City from Niagara Falls.
Shao was arraigned Friday on a sealed indictment. He is being held in the Genesee County Jail on $100,000 bail, $200,000 bond, and $400,000 partially secured bond. He has pleaded not guilty.
Second-degree manslaughter is a Class C felony that upon conviction can result in five to 15 years in state prison, while criminally negligent homicide is a Class E felony that can lead to between 16 months and four years in state prison.
Shao’s case has been adjourned to March 9 for a discovery conference in the Genesee County Court.
