Governor Hochul: “There are families grieving today. They say grief is the price you pay for love. We have families, we have a school, a school district, a county, and indeed an entire state that is grieving at this time.”
Hochul: “When I talk about those who respond, I do want to acknowledge some incredible people who put on their uniforms every day, are there in our time of need ... And the countless fire and rescue departments that showed up literally running into danger, uncertain as to whether or not that bus could explode or whether they'd be safe. But they never questioned. They just respond, and we owe them our gratitude every single day.”
Today was a day of terror for 44 passengers on a private coach line. Group of high school students, members of the Farmingdale marching band enroute to a camp in Pennsylvania. No one could have foreseen what these 40 students and four adults would have experienced, but certainly there are families grieving today. They say grief is the price you pay for love. We have families, we have a school, a school district, a county, and indeed an entire state that is grieving at this time.
At approximately 1:12 p.m. Thursday, New York State Police patrolling I-84 as is customary, responded to a call and they got to the site of the accident. A bus that literally tumbled down a 50-foot ravine within minutes. It's extraordinary. And to our state police, once again, I'm in awe of what you do.
But imagine the fear, the screams in the aftermath when these high school students, many of them freshmen, were surrounded by this chaos. But they endured, they were strong. And within 45 minutes, because of the efforts of an incredible amount of teamwork, these young people and the adults were brought to safety. Many of them within a short time of the accident. While it's preliminary, it is likely that a faulty front tire contributed to the accident. Although, again, this is still under investigation. That's a preliminary determination.
When I talk about those who respond, I do want to acknowledge some incredible people who put on their uniforms every day, are there in our time of need, and my God, this was a time of need. To Colonel Richard Mazzone, the Assistant Deputy Superintendent of this troop, I thank him for his quick response. The men and women who are participating. Also, the Orange County Sheriff, Paul Arteta, I want to thank the Sheriff because he and his deputies were there also responding so quickly. The City of Middletown Police, I thank them. And the countless fire and rescue departments that showed up literally running into danger, uncertain as to whether or not that bus could explode or whether they'd be safe. But they never questioned. They just respond, and we owe them our gratitude every single day.
Also, the other individuals who jumped into gear right around the corner. SUNY Orange, Orange County Community College, a place where the families of these young people could travel from Nassau County and to be greeted with a community of warmth and caring. I'm grateful to them. I'm also grateful for our Commissioner of Education who's here, Betty Rosa, who is here to ensure that these young people are cared for as she does for all the children of the state. I'm also grateful for our county executives, Steve Neuhaus, who I spoke to not long ago, his quick response, his entire team. And the County Executive who represents the families that are grieving because thus far, the count is four fatalities. I'm sorry – two fatalities, two adults, but there are five or six students that are in critical condition at any one of six hospitals in the vicinity.
We'll give all the information to the public and to the press as soon as we know it. But at this point, and I thank our County Executive for being here and traveling, but there's a lot of families that need some love tonight. And we extend that from 20 million New Yorkers who all know how much we cherish our children, our adults, our band leaders. Life will be a little bit emptier without them. So, let’s keep them in our prayers this evening and as they recover from this horrific and tragic experience.
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