Sky Express bus driver’s manslaughter trial postponed

We have previously written about a bus accident in Virginia which occurred in late May, leaving four passengers dead and injuring dozens of others. According to authorities, the 37-year-old man was fatigued and fell asleep at the wheel at the time of the wheel.

According to the Washington Post, the driver of that bus now faces a trial on four counts of felony voluntary manslaughter. Though his trial was set for next week, it has been postponed until January.

Sources said that if the driver is convicted, he may face as many as 40 years in prison.

Sources said that 58 people were on board the driver’s bus prior to the accident, which was owned and operated by Sky Express. The bus had apparently been en route from North Carolina to New York City when it swerved off Interstate 95, crashed into an embankment and flipped. The accident occurred about 30 miles north of Richmond.

The four women who died were between 25 and 78 years of age, and came from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The rest of the passengers were treated at area hospitals for minor and severe injuries. The driver suffered minor injuries in the crash.

According to reports, Sky Express had apparently had years of safety violations prior to the May crash. The company had been cited for failing to properly test drivers for drug and alcohol use, keeping driers who couldn’t speak English, and keeping unfit drivers and allowing fatigued drivers. The U.S. Transportation Department didn’t act, however, until after the May accident, when it shut the company down.

Source: Washington Post, “Trial postponed for drier in Va. bus crash that killed four,” Maggie Fazeli Fard, Sep 7, 2011.