Bus Driver in New York Crash Had Long Record

The bus accident this weekend that killed 15 people has taken a potential turn toward criminal charges with new disclosures about the bus driver, Ophadell Williams. Williams has reportedly stated that he was hit by a truck before losing control of the bus. Witnesses have now contradicted that account and police have learned that Williams has a long and disturbing record.

Williams was ticketed in 1995 for speeding and twice cited for driving without a license and using an alias (Erik Williams). His driving privileges were suspended in the state. He also has a 20-year-old manslaughter conviction. That charge was moved down from an original second-degree murder charge for his role in a stabbing in 1990. He served a couple years for that offense and served another three years later for grand larceny for removing an $83,905 check from a Police Athletic League fund.

The bus full of gamblers was returning from the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The owner of the tractor-trailer is Webster Trucking Company of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The driver’s record could magnify an already high vulnerability of the company to civil lawsuit. It could also increase the pressure for a settlement with the victims or their families.

Source: New York Daily News