Student files new lawsuit in 2023 Farmingdale High School bus crash that killed two
A charter bus transporting Farmingdale High School band members is removed from the median of I-84 in Orange County, New York, on Sept. 21, 2023. Credit: Howard Simmons
A Farmingdale High School student injured in the 2023 bus crash in upstate New York that killed two adults and injured dozens of students on their way to a weekend marching band camp, has filed a new lawsuit against a transportation company for injuries he suffered in the crash, legal documents show.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Nassau County Supreme Court by the student's father Amit Deshmukh, names Tri State Coaches LLC as the defendant.
Tri State Coaches, LLC is the "successor" to Regency Transportation LTD, the lawsuit said, adding there is a "continuity of ownership and management" between the entities, the court document said. Regency transferred its assets, including its "motor coach fleet, equipment, customer contacts and business operations," which "constituted a de facto merger," the suit said.
"The defendant Tri State Coaches, LLC, as the successor in interest to Regency Transportation LTD is liable to these plaintiffs for the injuries and damages sustained by them arising from the incident alleged in this complaint," the suit said.
A man who answered the phone Thursday afternoon at Tri State, which is headquartered in Nesconset, would not provide his name — he said he was one of the owners — and said the company is not connected to Regency and has "totally different owners."
"All of this will be addressed in court," he said.
He declined to provide the name of a lawyer for his company.
Erica Moskowitz, the Garden City attorney for Deshmukh and the minor who is identified in court papers only as M.D., did not respond to messages seeking comment Thursday.
Deshmukh could not be reached.
Deshmukh also filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of his child against Regency and the driver of the bus, which is pending.
The new suit claims the company was negligent in its operation and maintenance of the bus and "acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others."
It says the student suffered "severe and serious personal injuries," but does not specify them.
The lawsuit is the latest legal action coming from the Sept. 21, 2023, crash in upstate Orange County that injured many of the 40 students on the bus and killed two educators. In 2023, Newsday reported that Regency was on the Department of Transportation's list of "unacceptable companies." However, federal inspectors listed the company's record on safety as "satisfactory."
In 2024, Newsday reported that roughly 37 lawsuits had been filed on behalf of the 44 occupants on the bus that day heading to a camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania.
The crash killed band director Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and chaperone Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, who were both ejected from the bus. The crash also seriously injured another adult chaperone and 13 students. Officials said 27 more students suffered minor injuries. The 59-year-old driver was also ejected and seriously injured.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said a camera inside the bus showed the bus driver vaping 17 seconds before the crash and primarily driving with only her right hand on the steering wheel. She had both hands on the steering wheel one second after the tire failure, according to the report.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
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