Five people were killed and multiple people were injured when a tour bus crashed on an interstate in upstate New York on Aug. 22, authorities said as they released new information.
There were 54 people including the driver on the tour bus traveling from Niagara Falls, New York, to New York City when the bus crashed, overturned and rolled onto an embankment off Interstate 90 between Rochester and Buffalo, trapping and ejecting passengers. New York State Police responded to the scene at about 12:22 p.m. on Aug. 22, according to a news release.
Dozens of people were taken to area hospitals, including a number of children, according to hospital officials.
“I’ve been here 25 years. … This is probably the most trauma patients we’ve had from one incident in my career here in Buffalo,” Erie County Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Samuel Cloud said at a news conference.
Five people were killed and an unknown number of other passengers on a tour bus were injured when it rolled over while heading east on the New York Thruway in Pembroke, New York, on Aug. 22, 2025. The passenger side of the bus had broken out windows and a bent frame.
Here’s what we know:
What caused bus crash?
Police said the cause of the crash is still under investigation. The bus, which was owned by the company M&Y Tour Inc, was traveling east on the interstate. It exited the roadway into the median, then “abruptly” corrected and overturned, rolling off the road onto the side, state police said. The bus was the only vehicle involved, authorities said.
“It’s believed the operator became distracted, lost control, overcorrected and ended up on the right shoulder there,” New York State Police Troop T Major Andre Ray said during a news conference.
Mechanical failure of the bus and impairment of the driver were both ruled out as causes, state police said.
The occupants of the bus ranged in age from 1 to 74 and reside from multiple countries, including the U.S., China, India, the Philippines and countries in the Middle East. None of the deceased are children.
The crash temporarily shut lanes in both directions on the interstate.
Who were the victims in the crash?
Authorities haven’t released the identities of any of the deceased or injured. It’s unknown exactly how many people sustained injuries. Five of the people injured were transported by helicopter, authorities said.
Kaleida Health, which operates several hospitals in the Buffalo area, gave updates to the conditions of some injured at its facilities. Buffalo General Medical Center received five adults. One person is in good condition and another individual has already been discharged. Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital received 11 adults and two children. Ten people are in good condition and three individuals are in fair condition. Oishei Children’s Hospital received three children. Two of the children are in good condition and one child is in serious condition.
Six people were also being treated at the University of Rochester Medical Center, URMC said in a statement on Aug. 22. Five patients — three in stable condition and two in critical condition — remain at URMC, according to the hospital. One of the six patients brought to URMC was discharged.
Ten of the 24 patients brought to Erie County Medical Center were discharged on the night of Aug. 22, according to an ECMC spokesperson.
On Aug. 23, three of the four patients brought to the operating room and Trauma Intensive Care Unit were listed as stable and one is listed as critical. All four patients were admitted to the hospital.
Other tour bus crashes in New York since 2002
Here’s a look at several other bus crashes that have occurred in New York in recent years.
November 2024: 28 people were injured, one seriously, in a bus crash on Interstate 490 westbound in the town of Chili.
January 2024: One passenger died, one person was seriously injured and 10 people suffered non-life threatening injuries in a bus crash on Interstate 87 southbound in Lake George.
September 2023: Two people died in a bus crash taking student from Farmingdale High School to a band camp in northeastern Pennsylvania.
August 2021: 57 passengers were injured in a bus crash on the New York State Thruway west of Syracuse.
July 2011: Two people died and 35 were injured in a bus crash on Interstate 390 in Steuben County.
June 2002: Five people were killed and the driver and 41 passengers were injured in a bus crash on Interstate 90 eastbound near Victor.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York bus crash kills 5, injures dozens. What we know
