YORK COUNTY, Va. - The National Transportation Safety Board has released their preliminary investigation details regarding a deadly partybus crash in York County.
Tuesday's report did not provide any further details that we had not already have confirmed. However, it did provide a photo showing an elevated view of both vehicles after they had been removed from the crash scene.
The report details are as follows.
Around 1:38 a.m., on Friday, December 16, 2022, a 2000 International medium-size bus was traveling in the eastbound far-right lane on Interstate 64 near Williamsburg, York County.
The bus was privately owned by the principal operator of Futrell’s Party Adventures and was occupied by the driver and about 23 passengers, according to the NTSB.
The bus was advertised as a “party bus” and featured limousine-style seating (perimeter bench seats, so that the passengers face each other).
At the same time, a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia truck-tractor in combination with a Great Dane van-style semitrailer (combination vehicle), operated by Triton Logistics Inc., was also traveling in the eastbound far-right lane on I-64 behind the bus.
While in the vicinity of mile marker 240, the combination vehicle approached the bus at a higher speed and collided with the rear of the bus.
As a result of the crash, the body of the bus’s passenger compartment was destroyed and multiple passengers on the bus were ejected.
Three of the passengers were killed in this collision. Both vehicle operators survived the crash, and the remaining passengers were treated for various injuries.
We learned last month that three passengers who succumbed to their injuries during the crash have been identified as:
Xzavier Raquan Evans, 25, of Norfolk, Va.
Montia Bouie, 19, of Chesapeake, Va.
Jontae Kaalib Russel, 21, of Norfolk, Va.
READ MORE: Family of York County party bus crash victims calls for charges
Court documents obtained in December show state troopers in Virginia appear to be in the process of pursuing charges against both drivers involved.
A search warrant showed Troopers are pursuing reckless driving charges against both drivers in the crash.
It shows both drivers should not have been driving on Dec. 16, the morning of the crash.
In the warrant, investigators said they found the bus was overweight. The driver told State Police the bus couldn't go faster than 40 miles per hour because of the added weight.
The party bus driver, according to the warrant, said he noticed a tractor-trailer coming up fast behind him and changed lanes to try to get out of the way. The tractor-trailer driver reported he did not see any tail lights on the party bus.
The party bus struck a guard rail after being hit, the search warrant shows. The bus "lost its entire cab shell and all the passengers were ejected...."
Troopers found many empty alcohol bottles in the party bus wreckage, and four unknown pill bottles were found on the floor of the tractor-trailer cab along with a diabetic sugar tester, according to the warrant.
The warrant also shows troopers are looking to search through 13 cell phones found at the crash scene.
So far, charges have not been filed in the case.
