'Devastating Tragedy': LI School District Reacts To NTSB Report On Deadly Bus Crash Cause

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — The final report regarding the Farmingdale High School marching band deadly bus crash was released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The report found that the left-front tire failed on a 2014 Prevost H3-45 motorcoach at 1:12 p.m. Sept. 21, 2023, on Interstate 84 (I-84) in Wawayanda because of a "combination of under-inflation and previous impact damage," the NTSB stated.

The bus, operated by Regency Transportation LTD, was carrying the Farmingdale High School marching band when it crashed and tumbled down a 50-foot ravine, killing the school’s band director, Gina Pellettiere, 43, and retired teacher, Beatrice "Bea" Ferrari, 77. The band was headed to Greeley, Pennsylvania, for its annual band camp.

"The Farmingdale School District and the Board of Education are aware of the NTSB report related to the devastating tragedy that our community experienced in September of 2023," Superintendent Paul Defendini told Patch. "The emotional toll on our students, faculty and staff, our community, and especially the families of our two beloved educators who were taken from us that day, has been unimaginable. Our focus has been and will continue to be to provide the resources that will help our students, faculty and community cope with the emotions and trauma that we still all feel associated with this tragedy."

The tire failure caused the coach to abruptly pull to the left, cross the left lane shoulder and penetrate a roadside cable barrier, according to the NTSB. The bus traveled down into the median and rolled before coming to rest on its left side, the agency wrote.

The bus was occupied by a 59-year-old driver, 40 high school students and three adult chaperones. Five students were critically injured, authorities said.

A post-crash tire examination found that the bus's steer axle tires showed evidence of prolonged use in an "under-inflated condition," the NTSB stated. The failed left steer axle tire showed "more severe under-inflation indicators," as well as pre-crash impact damage along its outboard shoulder with "notable radial splits through the tire body and liner and signs of a developing tread separation," the agency wrote.

Regency Transportation did not respond to Patch's request for comment.

One passenger — a student — was confirmed to have been wearing the available lap/shoulder belt at the time of the crash, according to the NTSB. The seatbelt-wearing student suffered minor injuries and was the only occupant from the first three rows who was not ejected, the agency wrote. The other five occupants in this area, including the driver, were ejected and suffered fatal or serious injuries, the NTSB wrote.

"Had the occupants been using their lap/shoulder belts, they would not have been ejected, reducing their level of injury," the NTSB stated. "Their impacts inside the motorcoach would have also been reduced, further reducing their potential injuries."

Following the crash, the New York Legislature passed Assembly Bill A8557, which requires charter buses be equipped with seat belts and mandating their use. The law took effect in April and applies to minor and adult passengers in charter buses. The law provides different penalty structures based on passenger age.

The estate of Gina Pellettiere, in September 2024, filed a lawsuit against the bus company, tire company and driver involved in the crash. Diane and Joseph Pellettiere, the administrators of Pellettiere's estate, filed the lawsuit in Nassau County Supreme Court.

The lawsuit, filed by Garden City-based attorney Deanne Caputo on behalf of the Pellettiere estate, claims that the bus that Pellettiere was on "violently and without warning veered off the roadway and overturned down an embankment, striking the ground and multiple trees/objects." The lawsuit claims the driver drove the bus at "excessive rates of speed" before the crash and did not have the bus "under reasonable control, amongst other issues."

Some lawsuits also name the Farmingdale School District as a defendant, Newsday reported.

Defendini said the district, on the advice of its legal counsel, cannot comment on particulars of any ongoing lawsuit.

See Also:

• Legacy Of Farmingdale Band Instructor, Chaperone, Live On 1 Year Later: 'Band Is A Family'
• Thank You, 'Ms. P': Honoring The Music Teacher And Her Impact On Us
• Federal Lawmakers Call For Crash Gate On I-84 After Fatal Bus Accident
• 'Remarkable': Farmingdale HS Marching Band Performs 2 Weeks After Tragic Bus Crash
• Remembering Gina Pellettiere: Farmingdale Band Students Share Memories
• Farmingdale HS Marching Band Performs 2 Weeks After Tragic Bus Crash
• 'Life Of The Party': Beloved Farmingdale Music Teacher Laid To Rest
• 'The Most Beautiful Soul': Farmingdale's Bea Ferrari Mourned
• McDonald's To Donate To Farmingdale HS Marching Band
• LI Students Critically Injured In Bus Crash In 'Less Critical Care'