The driver at the helm of a tour bus that crashed in a horrific accident last year, killing 15 passengers, knew the risks of fatigue and drove anyway despite a serious lack of sleep, prosecutors said Thursday as his manslaughter trial began.
The National Transportation Safety Board, in a unanimous vote Tuesday, said the bus company, World Wide Tours of Greater New York, was also to blame for not providing adequate safety oversight of the driver, Ophadell Williams.
It would be harder for tour bus companies to win permission to operate and easier for the government to put rogue operators out of business under a series of bus safety steps announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.