One person has died in a bus crash in Dryden

ITHACA, NY – A bus carrying six people crashed into a tree on West Lake Road in the town of Dryden Wednesday afternoon, killing one of its passengers.

Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne announced Thursday afternoon that 63-year-old Kevin Welch of Cortland was killed in the accident. He was pronounced dead at Guthrie Cortland Hospital.

The four other passengers were taken to Cayuga Medical Center for treatment, while the driver was flown to Robert Packer Hospital for treatment.

One person had to be extricated from the vehicle when emergency responders arrived, Osborne said.

The bus, a white Ford, belonged to First Transit of Cortland. The cause of the collision remains under investigation and no further circumstances have been disclosed. Osborne’s announcement simply states that an investigation is ongoing and does not address whether or not charges will be filed.

Dryden firefighters, Tompkins County Sheriff’s deputies, Freeville Fire Department, Dryden Highway Department and medical personnel from Lifenet and Guthrie Air were all on scene to assist.

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