Megabus driver charged in Sept. crash

The driver of a Philadelphia-to-Toronto double-decker Megabus that crashed into a low overpass in upstate New York last year, killing four passengers and injuring 20, was charged Monday with criminally negligent homicide.

John Tomaszewski, 60, of Yardville, N.J., entered a not guilty plea through his attorney at an arraignment in Onondaga County Court in Syracuse, N.Y.

The crash on Sept. 11 killed a Voorhees teenager, a Temple University student from Kansas, a Malaysian preacher and an information technology specialist from India.

Police said Tomaszewski made a wrong turn off an interstate late at night just outside downtown Syracuse, and the 13-foot-1-inch-tall double-decker bus slammed into a railroad bridge that was just 10 feet, 9 inches above the road.

The bus left Philadelphia at 10 p.m. and was scheduled to stop in Syracuse and Buffalo before reaching Toronto at 7:15 a.m.. Megabus attracts students, young professionals and senior citizens with its fares as low as $1.

Those killed were Deanna Armstrong, 18, of Voorhees; Kevin Coffey, 19, an international business major at Temple; Ashwani Mehta, 34, of India; and the Rev. Benjamin Okorie, 35, of Malaysia.

According to police, Tomaszewski was using a personal GPS with an audio feature and may have been distracted. There are 12 signs along the road to warn vehicles of the low bridge, some with flashing yellow lights.

Coach USA, which operates Megabus, said that using any GPS device while driving is against company policy. Each bus, it said, is equipped with a GPS system that allows the company to track its location, but the device cannot be used by a driver to get directions.

Paramus, N.J.-based Coach USA has not confirmed that a GPS was being used or played a role in the crash. Tomaszewski told investigators that he was listening to the GPS system rather than holding it.

Tomaszewski and the company said he was traveling within the 55-m.p.h. speed limit.

Chicago-based Megabus operates about 100 double-decker buses on scheduled routes to 33 cities in the Northeast and Midwest. It has carried close to 7 million passengers since its launch in 2006, with no previous fatal highway accidents.

Defense attorney Scott Brenneck said Tomaszewski suffered numerous injuries in the crash, including a traumatic brain injury, and has been living with his sister.

Brenneck also said Tomaszewski would need surgery and asked Judge Anthony Aloi to allow the defendant to be released without bail. There was no objection by the prosecution, and the judge agreed, warning Tomaszewski not to drive a vehicle for hire while the criminal case is pending in court.

Brenneck declined to comment as he left court with Tomaszewski, who stared straight ahead as he walked past TV cameras.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Chris Bednarski said outside the courtroom that he was mulling whether to seek jail time if Tomaszewski is found guilty. Bednarski said he had reached out to the victims' families "to see what they hope to accomplish."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.