DA To File Criminal Charges Against Bus Drivers Involved In Parkway North Crash

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – There were no passengers on the bus and the driver survived, but the Port Authority says the driver of a second bus involved in a violent crash may have been driving recklessly.

Now the District Attorney says the crash site is a crime scene.

Charges are coming after one Port Authority bus went plummeting off the Parkway North.

District Attorney Stephen Zappala says he's "troubled" by surveillance video from inside one of the buses.

Last month, the two buses were heading south on the parkway when one made contact with the other, sending it down a hillside, injuring the driver.

Zappala said it's clear from the tape that both drivers were speeding.

"One bus was going in the upper 60s, when it was passed by the other bus," Zappala said.

The speed limit on the parkway is 55 miles per hour.

The video also shows the two drivers gesturing toward each other. Zappala says their behavior was unprofessional, but stopped short of saying they were racing.

"They were going pretty fast," he said. "I can't say that they were racing."

Racing or not, Zappala plans to file criminal charges.

Lawyers for both drivers say they weren't doing anything wrong and it may have been a mechanical problem.

Juliann Maier was driving the bus that crashed. She's still recovering from her injuries.

Thomas Frauens was the other driver. Both are on paid leave and could be fired.

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