At roadside, kin mourn bus crash victims
Mourners pray during a Buddhist cleansing ceremony provided on the spot where a tour bus crash March 12, 2011, on Interstate 95 in the Bronx claimed the lives of 15 passengers, most of Asian descent and residents of Chinatown. New York City and state police escorted the families and loved ones to the service. (March 19, 2011) Credit: Craig Ruttle
As trucks rumbled slowly by, Buddhist monks in brightly colored robes led relatives of some of the 15 people killed in last weekend's tour bus crash in a solemn roadside ceremony yesterday.
Officials closed off part of the accident scene -- a southbound lane of Interstate 95 in the Bronx -- for the ritual.
The families requested permission to conduct the ceremony, which must be held within seven days of death, to free their loved ones' souls and enable them to move on to the afterworld, NYPD spokesman Det. Mark Nell said.
Nineteen Chinese and Malaysian family members, accompanied by three monks, arrived at the crash site at 8 a.m. for the hourlong tou-qi ceremony. They were escorted by police, Red Cross officials and members of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's community affairs unit.
Participants prayed at the base of the Exit 14 highway sign where the tour bus returning from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut came to rest before dawn on March 12. The bus slammed into a guardrail and slid on its side into the sign's steel stanchion, which nearly sheared off the vehicle's roof.
Fourteen passengers died that day, many at the scene, and a 15th died Monday. Seven people remained in Bronx hospitals yesterday, four of them in critical condition.
Most of the dead were of Asian descent, with many living in Chinatown, the bus' destination.
Those gathered for the ceremony lit a small fire and burned offerings of personal letters and strips of paper, representing money, to provide solace and means for loved ones' spirits in the next world.
As the scent of incense mingled with traffic fumes, one of the monks sprinkled water at the base of the highway sign to purify the site. Another monk rang a small chime.
Fresh flowers, incense and food -- oranges, apples and plastic containers of soup, noodles, tofu and vegetables -- were left at the scene.
Cars and trucks heading south on I-95 came within feet of the prayer ritual -- some motorists honking impatiently at the slow pace of traffic.
State officials said Friday that the bus driver, Ophadell Williams, gave false statements on driver's license applications, adding they are investigating whether he did it to hide a previous suspension under another name.
Police cited Williams in 1995 for speeding, and twice for driving without a license. Williams gave police the name "Erik Williams" during one of the traffic stops, authorities said.
Williams, 40, of Bushwick, told state investigators the day of the crash that he lost control of the bus after being clipped by a tractor trailer. Police have interviewed the driver of the truck and describe him as a witness, not a suspect.
Williams has served time in prison for manslaughter and grand larceny, according to police.
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