Bus Driver Acquitted in Fatal Crash

A bus driver involved in a fatal 2010 crash in upstate New York was acquitted this week of negligent homicide in the deaths of four passengers.

John Tomaszewski, 60, was operating a double-decker bus traveling from Philadelphia to Toronto when he crashed into a low railroad bridge after getting lost on his route during a scheduled stop in Syracuse.

Tomaszewski, who was facing a four-year prison sentence, chose a non-jury trial. The judge presiding over the case acquitted him on Tuesday.

According to court testimony, Tomaszewski claimed he did not see any of the 13 signs that were posted to warn high-profile vehicles of the bridge’s low height because he was using a personal GPS device to try to get back on his route.

According to Tomaszewski’s lawyer, many of the signs were very small and hard to read, and they did not mention the height of the bridge, warning only that trucks were prohibited.

Killed in the crash were Deanna Armstrong, 18, of Voorhees, N.J.; Kevin Coffey, 19, of Manhattan, Kansas; Ashwani Mehta, 34, of India; and Benjamin Okorie, 35, of Malaysia.