By David Shepardson
(Reuters) -The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Saturday it will investigate a crash of a Freightliner box truck and a bus that killed six in Louisville, New York.
The crash, which occurred around 6:02 a.m. Saturday on State Highway 37 in the small city in St. Lawrence County near the Canadian border, also resulted in three serious and critical injuries to people who were then transported to a local hospital, New York State police said. The NTSB said it is launching a six-member team to investigate the crash.
Local TV station WWNY said roads were covered with snow and visibility was poor at the time of the crash. Photos of the devastating crash posted by WWNY showed it involved a Penske rental truck - a 2021 Freightliner box truck. State Police said the other vehicle involved was a 2013 Express bus. The crash closed the highway for about 12 hours.
U.S. traffic deaths have risen dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior following COVID lockdowns. The number of people killed in the first six months of 2022 was the highest in the period since 2006.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said earlier this month that in the first half of 2022 road deaths in crashes involving at least one large truck increased by 10%.