GRANBY — Police have released videos from a crash along Amherst Road in which a passenger bus plowed into a home Monday morning and say driver error is believed to have caused the crash.
Granby Police received several 911 calls reporting that a Peter Pan Bus Lines bus struck the house at 664 Amherst Road (Route 116) around 11 a.m. No one was home at time and the accident injured the bus driver and a passenger. The bus struck a parked oil delivery truck before striking the home.
Granby Police Sgt. Kevin O’Grady said mechanical errors in both the bus and oil truck were ruled out by Granby Police along with the help of State Police investigators. He said driver error is believed to be the cause of the crash.
In the released videos, which show both the inside and outside, the bus can be seen striking the parked oil truck which sends the unbelted driver into the stairwell of the bus. The bus then veers off the road and into trees before hitting the home and coming to a stop. Following the crash, a male passenger can be seen coming from the back of the bus to assist the driver.
The 77-year-old driver, Joe Anderson Jr., and a 23-year-old male passenger, have since been released from the hospital they were taken to following the accident, according to O’Grady. Police said five passengers were on the bus at the time of the crash.
“There was an angel of mercy with everybody on that bus that day,” said Christopher Crean, vice president of safety and security at Peter Pan Bus Lines.
Crean said Wednesday that Anderson was doing well but was a little shaken up by the accident.
Anderson has been with Peter Pan since 1974 and is one of three drivers who had driven more than 3 million miles without an accident, according to the company’s website.
On its website, Peter Pan officials boast about the company’s safety record, saying they were “proud to consistently achieve the Highest Safety Ratings from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Defense.”
“Safety is paramount at this company. It is one of the cornerstones at this company,” Crean said. “We put a very big effort forward every day to make sure people get from point A to point B safely.”
It was unlikely charges would be filed and there was no indication Anderson suffered a medical emergency while behind the wheel, according to O’Grady.
O’Grady said Anderson was not wearing his seat belt at the time of crash and was “launched” from his seat when the bus hit the oil truck.
Granby Police Chief Alan Wishart said Monday the northbound bus crashed into a parked oil delivery truck before crossing both lanes of traffic, traveling off the road and into the home. The driver of the fuel delivery truck was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to Wishart.
Amherst Road was closed to through traffic until approximately 2:45 p.m. while crews investigated the crash and dealt with the cleanup, according to police. Wishart said the cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.