Driver of NYC bus that plunged onto expressway refused to take drug tests after wreck
NEW YORK – The veteran driver of a tandem bus that plunged 50 feet from an overpass onto the Cross Bronx Expressway refused to take drug and alcohol tests at a hospital after the harrowing late-night wreck, officials said Friday.
“This is obviously troubling,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority Safety & Security Officer Patrick Warren at a news conference about the 11:10 p.m. Thursday crash where the bus tumbled after tearing through a metal gate while making a left turn onto the Bronx overpass.
Interim New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg agreed, calling the driver’s decision to dodge the tests “extremely troubling ... (it’s) extremely rare for someone not to agree to cooperate.”
Driver Everton Beccan, 55, with 11 years of experience behind the wheel, did pass a breathalyzer test at the scene after the crash that left seven passengers injured, said Warren. The father of two remained hospitalized and unable to speak about what happened, his wife, Dahalia Beccan, told the Daily News.
“He’s shaken up as can be expected,” she said, declining to address the refused tests. “I haven’t been able to talk to him ... The photos of the crash were like a movie type of thing.”
Authorities said Beccan was driving along his regular route at a dangerous speed of 17 to 26 miles per hour while making a left turn that called for a speed of less than 5 MPH.
“Speed is clearly a factor and of obvious concern to us,” said Warren. “The bus appears, according to GPS, to be going at a high rate of speed as it attempted to make the turn.”
The front half of the articulated bus rested nose-down on the expressway, while its back end perched precariously above on the overpass. The injured driver was able to help his passengers to safety after the bizarre wreck, with authorities noting the bus passed a Wednesday inspection with no issues.
“It was pure adrenaline,” said his wife at their Bronx home. “He’s an experienced driver and we are still trying to figure out what happened. Under the circumstances, just taking the safety of the passengers first is what was expected. I expect that of him, too.”
The bus was on University Avenue just east of the Major Deegan Expressway in Highbridge when its front half veered to the edge of the overpass and went over the side.
Shocking photos and video on social media show the front end of the bus resting on the Cross Bronx Expressway.
First responders arrived to find two emergency situations: the one on the overpass and the one on the highway, said FDNY Acting Battalion Chief Steven Moore.
“While responding to this incident, I began discussing the information we were receiving, picturing a bus hanging off the edge,” Moore wrote on Instagram. “#Rescue 3 began securing the bus up-top while #Engine 43 made their way around to begin treatment of the civilian patients.”
Eight patients, including the driver, were treated at the scene, FDNY Deputy Chief Paul Hopper said.
“The bus fell approximately 50 feet onto the access road,” he added. “The patients suffered injuries consistent with a fall from such a great height.”
The bus driver, after breaking his jaw in the crash, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment.
“He takes his job very seriously,” said Dahalia Beccan. “He’s been doing this for a long time.”
The injured passengers were taken to Lincoln Medical Center and St. Barnabas with complaints of pain and bruising as the investigation was launched.
“We are conducting a full investigation and will implement lessons learned in order to prevent it from happening again,” said Warren in a statement. “We are certain this was a terrifying incident for those customers on the bus. Our hearts go out to them with hope that they can recover quickly.”
___
(The Daily News' Clayton Guse contributed to this story.)
