Two killed in Queens coach-bus crash on LIE
Police said a westbound coach-bus driver first collided with vehicles near Exit 16 on the Long Island Expressway, and the crash killed the 35-year-old driver and Royal Jordanian employee Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
A late-night crash on the Long Island Expressway involved a coach bus carrying a Royal Jordanian Airlines crew from JFK Airport to hotel accommodations. Police said the 35-year-old driver was westbound near Exit 16 when the driver first collided with vehicles on the westbound side; the collision sent the coach bus over the median into eastbound traffic, where it was involved in collisions with two more vehicles. The driver and passenger Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, died at the scene. Reports varied on the injury count, describing 19 to 20 other people hurt, including at least one eastbound driver in critical condition. The investigation continued with NYPD and NTSB involvement.
Near Exit 16 on the Long Island Expressway
The crash happened late Monday night on the Long Island Expressway near the Greenpoint Avenue exit in Queens. Reports placed the scene on an elevated stretch near Calvary Cemetery and used nearby neighborhood labels including Sunnyside, Maspeth and Long Island City.
What police described
Police said the driver of a Freightliner S2 Luxury Mini Coach Bus was traveling westbound near Exit 16 around 11:45 p.m. when the driver sideswiped a Honda Accord. The Daily News, citing police, reported that the Accord then went into a Honda Pilot, and the force of the crash sent the coach bus over the median into eastbound lanes, where it was involved in collisions with a Toyota Highlander and a GMC Yukon.
Other reports summarized the sequence more generally, saying the coach-bus driver first collided with two westbound vehicles before the coach bus overturned into oncoming traffic and was involved in collisions with two additional vehicles.
A Royal Jordanian crew was on board
Royal Jordanian Airlines crew members were on the coach bus after arriving at JFK Airport from Amman, according to ABC7. Gothamist reported the crew members were traveling from JFK Airport to their hotel. The Daily News identified the passenger who died as Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, an employee of Royal Jordanian Airlines. Police withheld the bus driver’s name pending family notification.
Reports said 15 Royal Jordanian crew members were on the coach bus. ABC7 reported that the group included two Thai flight attendants.
Injuries, response and investigation
News reports gave different injury counts. The Daily News reported 19 injured patients taken to hospitals, including the other coach-bus passengers and the drivers of the four other vehicles. CBS New York and Gothamist reported 20 injured people, and CBS said three were critically injured. Multiple outlets reported that at least one eastbound driver was hospitalized in critical condition.
Emergency responders closed the Long Island Expressway in both directions for hours while crews treated injured people, cleared wreckage and investigators processed the scene. ABC7 reported that the NTSB was working with the NYPD, and several outlets said the cause remained under investigation.