NEWS

Bus driver swerved into wrong lane seconds before crash

Bus driver swerved into wrong lane seconds before crash

A video taken from a vehicle following the tourist bus full of Greek nationals that crashed into the metal beam of an overhead traffic sign in Bucharest on Friday afternoon, killing a 53-year-old passenger, shows the vehicle changing lanes seconds before the fatal accident, entering a section of the road where vehicles above a certain height were forbidden.

The bus’ driver reportedly told Romanian authorities that he was following route instructions on the Google Maps app. He did not explain why he failed to spot the warning road sign.

Passengers in the bus have said that the driver was tired after a long drive from Thessaloniki, some 680 kilometers (420 miles) to the southwest. Another driver had driven the bus from the city of Volos to Thessaloniki but had not stayed on; he had replaced on short notice another one who was supposed to have accompanied the bus all the way to Bucharest, in accordance to regulations mandating two drivers at long-haul bus routes.

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