Bus Carrying High School Band From New York Crashes Killing Two

A bus carrying a high school band reportedly had an issue with a front tire, which may have forced the vehicle to veer off of the highway and slide down a 50-foot ravine. Two adults were reportedly killed with dozens of band members injured.

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According to newsday.com, the Farmingdale High School band was traveling Greeley, Pennsylvania for band camp. There were six charter buses as part of high school's traveling party. Lt. Col. Richard Mazzone, assistant deputy superintendent of the State Police Department told the media that just after 1pm on I-84 in Orange County, one of the buses went off the road without an apparent collision.

The New York State Police confirmed that two adults were killed and five students were critically injured. Dozens of other students were sent to area hospitals for injuries. Gina Pellettiere, the band director at the high school, and Beatrice Ferrari, who was a retired social studies teacher were the two adults killed in the crash. Newsday.com said that a preliminary investigation indicated that a "faulty front tire" may be a "contributing factor" to the crash.

The other five buses returned to Farmingdale High School and were met by hundreds of friends, family members and mourners. Governor Kathy Hochul commented, "Today was a day of terror for 44 passengers...Imagine the fear. The screams of these high school students, many of them freshmen, surrounded by this chaos. They endured and were strong.”