Chinatown Bus Company Shut Down After Deadly Crash

DNA Info

June 1, 2011 1:22pm   Updated June 1, 2011 6:23pm

Sky Express shut down a day after one of its buses crashed in Virginia Tuesday, killing four people.

By Patrick Hedlund and Nguyen Thanh Tuan

DNAinfo Staff

CHINATOWN — The long-distance bus company whose Chinatown-bound coach crashed in Virginia, killing four passengers, was shut down by the U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday.

North Carolina-based Sky Express was banned from making interstate trips by the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which cited its poor safety rating.

Sky Express has multiple violations in the areas of driver qualification requirements, drug and alcohol compliance, hours of service, and vehicle maintenance, the agency noted.

The bus was headed from North Carolina to New York City early Tuesday morning when it hit an embankment on the I-95 highway near Fredericksburg, Va., and flipped on to its roof, Virginia state police said.

Four female passengers died in the wreck, while 54 others suffered injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, state police said.

Authorities identified the deceased as Karen Blyden-Decastro, 46, of Cambria Heights, Queens; Sie Giok Giang, 63, of Philadelphia; Josefa Torres, 78, of Jamaica, Queens; and Denny Estefany Martinez, 25, of Jersey City.

At least 20 of the passengers remain hospitalized in Virginia with serious injuries, authorities added.

Police cited driver fatigue as the reason for the crash, ruling out the possibility of any mechanical malfunction.

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