Report says snow was falling during fatal turnpike bus crash

Light snow was falling during a bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that killed five people last month, and the bus had just passed a sign warning to keep below 55 mph (89 kph) on a curve, according to a preliminary investigative report released Thursday.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s three-page report said all aspects of the crash remain under investigation.

The report did not say how fast the bus was traveling when the driver lost control about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh. The posted speed limit on that stretch is 70 mph (113 kph), but there is an advisory sign before the crash site with the lower speed limit, the report said.

The bus, operated by Z&D Tour Inc., had been traveling from Rockaway, New Jersey, to Cincinnati when the crash occurred around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 5 in a rural, mountainous area of the turnpike, which is also Interstates 70 and 76 on that stretch.

The driver, identified in the report only as a 58-year-old man, was killed in the crash, along with two bus passengers. The others killed were two UPS drivers, Daniel Kepner, 53, and Dennis Kehler, 48, who were working out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a company spokeswoman has said.

The report said nearly all of the 61 passengers in Z&D Tour motorcoach were injured. The report said the bus was designed for 57 passengers.

Image Source: AP