Late Sunday afternoon, veteran driver Steve Vera pulled his JTR Transportation bus into the Mohegan Sun terminal on a trip from New York City.
Vera said he makes the 1-hour-and-40-minute drive from New York to the casino twice a week, passing by the same spot where a tour bus carrying mostly Asian casino patrons back to New York's
While the driver of the Worldwide Tours bus originally told police that a tractor trailer clipped his bus and caused him to crash, The Associated Press reported Sunday that passengers disputed that claim.
They said that driver Ophadell Williams had already swerved at times to the right for no reason before the accident, according to an unidentified law-enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.
The official said passengers said they didn't feel anything hit them and that other motorists on Interstate 95 said they didn't see the bus get hit. The official said police spoke to a tractor-trailer driver, who said he was following the bus.
Investigators plan to look into the bus company's fatigue management plan and whether Williams checked into a room at the Mohegan Sun. They will also analyze a camera in the bus, an engine control module, which may tell how fast the bus was going; and a GPS tracking device from the tractor-trailer.
Vera, though, said he thinks excessive speed was a factor.
"I've spoken to a few drivers from other companies and they also suspected speed," Vera said.
He said most of the JTR buses are equipped with a switch that does not allow the bus to travel over 70 miles per hour.
"That switch will not let us go faster than that," he said.
He said that after every trip, drivers must be allowed at least 8 hours before their next shift, depending on where their next destination is.
According to the casino's Sunday bus log, Vera's bus was just one of the 115 scheduled to arrive at the terminal between 2 and 11 p.m.
At the Mohegan Sun bus terminal on Sunday, passengers lined up at their respective ports to board their bus for the return trip.
During the 15-minute span in which drivers wait for their passengers to board, many of them step out of their buses to stretch their legs before making the trip. Some socialize with other drivers, others field questions from confused casino patrons and many stretch their arms and legs in some way.
At 4:16 p.m., a King Ward Coach Lines bus, driven by Felicia LaPointe, arrived at the terminal.
This was the first of her two daily round trips bringing passengers from Springfield, Mass., to the casino. That's 360 miles and seven and a half hours of driving.
"We are not allowed to drive for more than 10 hours a day, period," LaPointe said. "My company is very good about safety even though hours of service are a touchy subject for some other companies."
If for some reason she gets tired, all she has to do is call her company.
"They're supposed to send us a relief driver and put us in a hotel immediately. We won't be allowed to drive until we get the proper rest," she said.
The trips between New York City's Chinatown and regional casinos are popular, said Eddie Chiu, who runs the Lin Sing Association, a community outreach group.
Chiu told the Associated Press that in the past three years, there have been a handful of serious accidents involving discount buses taking people from New York's Chinese community to casinos.
"The drivers tell me that they're often very tired," he said, adding that salaries are low and drivers work long hours.
LaPointe said Saturday's fatal accident has been mentioned to her by passengers and her own friends.
"It's terrible to hear such a thing, an accident like that is just terrible in this industry," she said.
After just 15 minutes, she climbed back into the bus, shut the door and headed back to Springfield.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said Sunday that state police are working with members of the New York State Police Department but declined to comment as to what involvement the state police have in the investigation.
"We're assigned to and will assist New York State Police in any way required. If they need any investigatory work done in Connecticut, we'll do whatever they may need," Vance said.
Casino spokeswoman Cathy Soper said Sunday she would be able to provide details today about the bus companies that bring members of the Asian community to the casino, the casino's relationship with them and how the casino monitors their safety.
For years, charter bus companies have been ferrying customers to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino from the Chinatown sections of New York City and Boston. Dozens of buses carrying thousands of customers of Asian descent arrive at and depart from the casinos each day, the Asian clientele representing an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the casinos' customer base, according to published reports.
Both casinos cater to their Asian customers, providing them with table games that are popular with them, such as forms of baccarat, blackjack, pai gow and sic bo. The casinos also feature Asian restaurants and marketing and promotions aimed specifically at Asian customers.
Mohegan Sun expanded its Asian offerings several years ago, including a new bus depot to accommodate the buses carrying Asian customers.
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