WASHINGTON — Investigators have ruled out mechanical defects as a possible cause of the bus crash Tuesday that killed six people in Baltimore, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Also, police on Friday disputed information released by Maryland’s Department of Motor Vehicles on Thursday indicating the driver of the school bus that crashed into a Maryland Transit Administration commuter bus did not have a valid license.
“Appears to be some conflicting information as to what information was available and on file,” said T.J. Smith, a spokesman for Baltimore police. “Truly conflicting information. None of it gives a definitive answer — yes, or no.”
Smith said investigators are examining copious amounts of documents.
“We’ll get there. We’ll have a definitive answer,” Smith said. “It’s just going to take some time to get there.”
The school bus driver, Glenn R. Chappell, was killed along with a MTA driver and four other mass-transit passengers.
Surveillance video from a convenience store and three other sources showed the school bus speeding, Smith said. But it’s still unknown how fast the bus was going.
There were no skid marks at the crash scene. The school bus, which crossed the road into oncoming traffic, had first hit another vehicle before the deadly crash. Autopsy results are expected to indicate whether the school bus driver was medically incapacitated, Smith said.
An interview with the sole surviving passenger on the school bus, a bus aide, is still being arranged with that person’s attorney.
Two of 11 people injured in the crash remain hospitalized. A man, 28, remains in critical condition. A woman, 29, is said to be “stable.” Smith said that that woman initially was not included in the casualty count because it was such a chaotic crash scene.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
