9 Hospitalized After Bus Crashes Into DOT Truck On I-95

OLD SAYBROOK, CT — Nine people were hospitalized after a coach bus crashed into a DOT truck late Wednesday night on I-95 North in Old Saybrook. The crash occurred at about 10:50 p.m. between Exits 66 and 67 in Old Saybrook.

The DOT truck was in the right lane, which was closed, for tree removal work, according to state police. The rear-facing amber lights on the DOT truck were activated and visible when the coach bus veered from the left lane into the closed right lane, striking the DOT truck and causing heavy damage, police said.

Several bus passengers and the driver of the DOT truck were taken to local hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, according to police. The accident closed the right lane and Exit 67 on-ramp for two hours.

The driver of the bus, 58-year-old Qingsheng Zhuo of Corona, New York, was issued infractions for failure to maintain lane, traveling too fast for conditions and failure to move over and reduce speed. The coach bus is owned by Soe Tour Inc.

Soe was named as one the top 10 “most dangerous” bus companies in New York in 2017, according to a study conducted by the state senate’s Independent Democratic Conference after a fatal tour bus crash. The fatal bus crash occurred in Queens, New York on Sept. 18, 2017 and involved a bus operated by the Dahlia Group. After the crash, the IDC initiated an investigation into the safety records of bus companies that operate within the city.

Soe, which operates out of Queens with its headquarters in Massachusetts, ranked fifth in the list and was found to exceed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration intervention thresholds for unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance and vehicle maintenance.