CHINATOWN (WABC) -- A private bus crashed into a building in Chinatown -- killing one person and injuring three others.

A dump truck appeared to rear-end the Fung Wah Bus, sending it careening into a building at the intersection of Bowery and Canal Street.

Eyewitness News is told as many as three people were on the bus. One person, apparently a female pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The victims were taken to NYU Downtown Hospital, Bellevue Medical Center and St. Vincent's Hospital. One person in the dump truck, registered to a New Jersey company, was also injured.

Police say the building the bus crashed into was damaged, but it did not appear to be structurally unsound. The crash occurred at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge, a treacherous multi-directional intersection.

Fung Wah, a low-cost carrier that takes passengers between Boston and New York City, has experienced problems in the past with drivers and accidents.

• In September 2006, 34 people were injured when a Fung Wah rolled over in Auburn on an off-ramp from Interstate 290 to Route 12.

 

• In August 2005, a Fung Wah bus traveling from Boston to New York caught fire on Interstate 91 in Meriden, Conn. The passengers all got out safely, but within minutes the bus was entirely engulfed in flames. State police said the driver was driving too fast.

After that crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration fined Fug Wah more than $31,000, in part, for letting non-English speaking drivers carry its passengers.

Fung Wah and easyBus

9 August 2004

Comparison of services

NEW YORK, NY September 15, 2005 -New Yorkers who like to travel on the cheap know about all about the "Chinatown bus." Fifteen dollars to Boston. Twenty to Washington. Twelve to Philadelphia.

The companies that run these somewhat chaotic cash businesses started out several years ago, ferrying Chinese restaurant workers up and down the East Coast. But thrifty travelers caught on, and now a series of companies carry college students, professionals, and anyone else looking for a low-priced convenient trip. It's estimated that about 350 buses leave New York's Chinatown a week.

But a pair of fires in recent months has prompted some federal and state officials to take a closer look at the safety of the buses, and the companies that run them. Reporter Lizzie O'Leary has more.

                ATTORNEY GENERAL COAKLEY WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST FUNG WAH BUS COMPANY FOR REFUSING TO SELL TICKETS TO BLIND COUPLE

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) has ruled in favor of the Commonwealth in Attorney General Martha Coakley’s lawsuit against a bus company accused of denying access to a blind couple traveling from Boston to New York with a service dog. Earlier this week, MCAD ordered Fung Wah to implement comprehensive anti-discrimination and service animal policies, to designate a new Disability Access Coordinator and Complaint Officer (whom the MCAD must approve), and train its workforce about the anti-discrimination laws within 60 days. It also awarded $35,000 to Mr. Albert Sten-Clanton and $25,000 to Ms. Mary Sten-Clanton in emotional distress damages and a $10,000 civil penalty to the Commonwealth.  

“Service animals provide invaluable assistance to many blind men and women and afford them the opportunity to function independently in society,” said Attorney General Martha Coakley.  “Equal access for all individuals is not just good business, it is the law, and we will not tolerate discrimination based on disability.”