Mass. Police: No Decision On Charges In Bus Crash

Updated February 04, 2013

The Associated Press

In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firemen work to remove injured passengers from a bus that hit an bridge as it traveled along Soldiers Field Road in the Allston neighborhood of Boston Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2013. (Boston Fire Department/AP)

Police said Monday they have not decided whether to file charges or issue citations in connection with a weekend bus crash that injured 35 people who were part of a group from Pennsylvania visiting Harvard University.

A 17-year-old remained in critical condition and several other people were hospitalized with serious injuries. Police have not released their names.

The Calvary Coach bus slammed into a 10-foot-high overpass in Boston on Saturday night while returning to the Philadelphia area. The group included high school students and chaperones from a Destined for a Dream Foundation group based in Bristol, Pa.

State police spokesman David Procopio said Monday that the investigation continues and no decisions have been made on whether to charge or cite the bus driver, Samuel J. Jackson.

Ray Talmedge, owner of the Philadelphia-based bus company, told WCAU-TV that Jackson looked down at his GPS and looked back up and saw the bridge but was too close to avoid hitting it. Talmedge declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press on Monday.

A listing for Jackson, who was not hurt, rang unanswered Monday. Massachusetts state police said they could not comment on whether Jackson was looking at his GPS.

Some passengers were trapped for more than an hour as rescue crews worked to free them.

Authorities said the bus did not belong on Soldier's Field Road, a major artery along the Charles River with a 10-foot height limit. Signs warning of the height restriction are "all over the place," said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.

The Facebook page of the Destined for a Dream Foundation said the trip to Harvard was to "visit the campus, sit with the office of cultural advancement, followed by a tour of the campus ... followed by Harvard Square (shopping, eating, site seeing...etc...) This should be a fun time for all!"

The accident caused only cosmetic damage to the bridge and road, which was reopened Sunday.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials said there are no plans to raise the height of the bridge during scheduled repairs next year.

This article was originally published on February 04, 2013.

This program aired on February 4, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.