Gov. Hochul: 2 adults dead, at least 5 students in critical condition in Orange County bus crash
Gov. Kathy Hochul says two adults have died and at least five students are in critical condition in an Orange County bus rollover. The governor says a preliminary investigation has found that a faulty front tire may be to blame.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul says two adults have died and at least five students are in critical condition in an Orange County bus rollover.
Officials have identified the two adults killed in the crash as 43-year-old Gina Pellettire, from Massapequa and 77-year-old Beatrice Ferrari, from Farmingdale.
Pellettire is the Farmingdale High School’s band director and Ferrari was a teacher at the school for more than 26 years.
The governor says a preliminary investigation has found that a faulty front tire may be to blame.
Officials say there were 44 passengers on the bus. The bus had students from Farmingdale High School's marching band and was headed to a camp in Pennsylvania. Forty of the Long Island passengers were students and four were adults.
At least 40 people were injured.
The crash happened near Exit 15 Mountain Road on I-84 westbound. Gov. Hochul said the bus tumbled down a 50-foot ravine.
The Farmingdale Union Free School District on Long Island confirms one of its buses en route to band camp was involved the crash.
Officials say three patients from the crash were being cared for at Westchester Medical Center, a level one trauma center.
There was no word on the ages or conditions of those taken to the hospital.
Others who were injured in the bus rollover were taken to other hospitals across the area.
The school district says other students from the bus involved in the crash were taken to Orange County Community's Diana Physical Education Building in Middletown for reunification with their families.
They say students from five other buses were taken back to Farmingdale High School. On their way, they stopped at Orange County Community College to meet with grief counselors if needed.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the victims of the crash.
MORE: Officials hold news conference on the Orange County bus crash.
MORE: News 12's Veronica Jean Seltzer was at the scene.
MORE: News 12's Jonathan Gordon was at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, where some of the other students were taken.
MORE: News 12's Thema Ponton spoke to students from other buses on the band trip as they arrived back at Farmingdale High School following the rollover crash.
MORE: News 12 recognizes first responders who raced to bus crash to pull people to safety. A sample of the call the heroes answered:
MORE: News 12's Carmen Grant spoke with neighbors of one of the deceased teachers.
MORE: News 12's Kevin Vesey was at Westchester Medical Center, a level one trauma center, where patients from the crash were being cared for.
MORE: News 12's Rachel Yonkunas took a look at the record of Regency Transportation, the bus company whose vehicle, was involved in the rollover.
MORE: Chopper 12 video over bus rollover in Orange County.
MORE: News 12's Diane Caruso was at the reunification center that was set up for the parents of Farmingdale High School students.
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MORE: News 12's Blaise Gomez was first at the scene following the crash.
