Bus Mechanical Woes Cited in Fatal Crash

Federal safety experts investigating the Christmas Eve 1998 crash of a bus in Sayreville, N.J., found six mechanical problems, any of which would have kept it off the road. The bus taking 23 people from New York to Atlantic City skidded off the snowy Garden State Parkway and flipped, killing eight passengers and injuring 16. Days before the crash, the bus had a routine inspection by New York authorities. National Transportation Safety Board mechanics found problems in the braking system, an oil leak in an axle, a leak that made the engine underside wet with oil, and an inoperable emergency release for the bus door.