Farmingdale High School bus crash: State police ID driver as Lisa Schaffer of Centereach
Investigators going through the bus on Friday that was involved in a fatal crash in the town of Wawayanda, N.Y. Credit: Howard Simmons
The driver of a Farmingdale High School charter bus that crashed down a 50-foot ravine last week, killing two women and injuring dozens of students, has been identified as a Centereach woman, state police said Tuesday.
Lisa Schaffer, 59, was identified as the driver of the Regency Transportation bus that was en route to a marching band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, when it crashed and overturned at 1:12 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 84 in the town of Wawayanda in upstate Orange County. Forty students and four adults were on board, officials said.
Efforts to reach Schaffer Tuesday were not successful.
State Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Walt McClure said Schaffer has a valid commercial driver’s license and no violations on her record. A state police spokesman did not have information on Schaffer's medical condition or whether she is currently hospitalized.
National Transportation Safety Board officials interviewed Schaffer Saturday. They are looking into multiple possible factors behind the crash, including a faulty left tire, mechanical issues and driver error.
Multiple messages left with Regency Transportation of Nesconset have not been returned. In a Facebook post on Friday, the company said it was cooperating with authorities.
There was no answer at Schaffer's Centereach home on Tuesday. A neighbor said she hadn’t seen Schaffer at her home since last week.
The number of bus passengers hospitalized from the bus crash is down to four, according to Nassau County spokesman Chris Boyle.
Westchester Medical Center is treating one patient in fair condition, while one adult is still hospitalized at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown in stable condition, he said.
Two students are also in stable condition at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Boyle said. They include a freshman female student who is recovering from back and spinal surgeries over the weekend and another student transferred from Westchester Medical to be closer to home, officials said.
On Saturday, Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini said all those injured in the bus crash are expected to recover.
Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, a chaperone and retired teacher, and Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa were both killed in the crash.
Ferrari's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Farmingdale while Pellettiere's will be held Thursday in Massapequa Park. The high school will close Thursday to allow students and staff to attend Pellettiere's funeral, Defendini said Monday.
During an appearance Tuesday in Albany, Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said National Transportation Safety Board agents were at the crash site Monday and told her they would be investigating at the location for four or five more days.
Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t provide any information on findings about the fatal accident but said state officials are working closely with the NTSB.
“It was heartbreaking to see such a freak accident occur,” Hochul said of the crash. “Of course, there is an investigation … we are fully cooperating.”
With John Asbury and Michael Gormley
The driver of a Farmingdale High School charter bus that crashed down a 50-foot ravine last week, killing two women and injuring dozens of students, has been identified as a Centereach woman, state police said Tuesday.
Lisa Schaffer, 59, was identified as the driver of the Regency Transportation bus that was en route to a marching band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, when it crashed and overturned at 1:12 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 84 in the town of Wawayanda in upstate Orange County. Forty students and four adults were on board, officials said.
Efforts to reach Schaffer Tuesday were not successful.
State Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Walt McClure said Schaffer has a valid commercial driver’s license and no violations on her record. A state police spokesman did not have information on Schaffer's medical condition or whether she is currently hospitalized.
National Transportation Safety Board officials interviewed Schaffer Saturday. They are looking into multiple possible factors behind the crash, including a faulty left tire, mechanical issues and driver error.
Multiple messages left with Regency Transportation of Nesconset have not been returned. In a Facebook post on Friday, the company said it was cooperating with authorities.
There was no answer at Schaffer's Centereach home on Tuesday. A neighbor said she hadn’t seen Schaffer at her home since last week.
The number of bus passengers hospitalized from the bus crash is down to four, according to Nassau County spokesman Chris Boyle.
Westchester Medical Center is treating one patient in fair condition, while one adult is still hospitalized at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown in stable condition, he said.
Two students are also in stable condition at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Boyle said. They include a freshman female student who is recovering from back and spinal surgeries over the weekend and another student transferred from Westchester Medical to be closer to home, officials said.
On Saturday, Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini said all those injured in the bus crash are expected to recover.
Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, a chaperone and retired teacher, and Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa were both killed in the crash.
Ferrari's funeral is scheduled for Wednesday in Farmingdale while Pellettiere's will be held Thursday in Massapequa Park. The high school will close Thursday to allow students and staff to attend Pellettiere's funeral, Defendini said Monday.
During an appearance Tuesday in Albany, Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said National Transportation Safety Board agents were at the crash site Monday and told her they would be investigating at the location for four or five more days.
Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t provide any information on findings about the fatal accident but said state officials are working closely with the NTSB.
“It was heartbreaking to see such a freak accident occur,” Hochul said of the crash. “Of course, there is an investigation … we are fully cooperating.”
With John Asbury and Michael Gormley
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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