{"id":327606,"date":"2026-08-23T00:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T00:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/327606\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T00:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T00:26:08","slug":"witness-recounts-fatal-pembroke-tour-bus-crash-one-year-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/327606\/","title":{"rendered":"Witness recounts fatal Pembroke tour bus crash one year later"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pembroke, N.Y. \u2014 Saturday marks one year since the devastating crash <\/a>on the New York State Thruway in Pembroke.<\/p>\n

The crash shutting down the eastbound lane for several hours.<\/p>\n

Five people were killed in the crash<\/a>, and dozens were injured when the bus overturned.<\/p>\n

MORE: Owner of tour bus involved in fatal crash had no recent major violations, data shows<\/a> | First responders recount rescue efforts after deadly tour bus crash on Thruway<\/a> | Hospitals provide updates on patients after deadly Thruway bus crash<\/a><\/p>\n

The driver, Bin Shao, of New York City, pleaded guilty in Genesee County Court<\/a> to five counts of criminally negligent homicide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MORE: NTSB releases preliminary report on deadly tour bus crash on NYS Thruway<\/a> | Heartbreak on the Thruway: Eyewitness recounts haunting moments of tour bus tragedy<\/a> | Transportation safety expert gives insight into deadly tour bus crash investigation<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the drivers who passed by, Lakila Jackson was driving west when she passed the scene. <\/p>\n

She remembers capturing video in the crawling traffic. <\/p>\n

The first responders were seen parked in the median, and the small crowd in the grass behind them, the overturned bus.<\/p>\n

“Well, initially seeing it, it was pretty scary,” said Jackson. “I was actually on the way to Canada with my boys, and I just remeNot far, Mary Doktor says she could hear the commotion as the first responders rushed in.<\/p>\n

“Probably five or six vehicles went by, and I knew right then and there that there was an accident on the Thruway and I knew it was a bad one,” said Doktor.<\/p>\n

The crash brought the Thruway to a halt.<\/p>\n

“There, in the many years of the Thruway, there have been several horrific accidents, with this being one of them,” said Commander Andre Ray of the New York State Police Troop T.<\/p>\n

Shao told investigators he was trying to grab a water bottle<\/a> when he lost control of the bus.<\/p>\n

“To know that the cause of all that was due to something that could have been prevented, it makes it a bit sadder,” continued Jackson. “You know, especially for those who lost their lives.”<\/p>\n

Shao is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 9; he faces 15 months to four years in state prison.<\/p>\n

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