A tour bus en route to Niagra Falls rolled over on the New York State Thruway, injuring all 57 people on board.
The vehicle hit the grass on the side of the road around 12.40pm on Saturday near the village of Weedsport, 25 miles west of Syracuse.
Everyone on the bus was taken to hospital for injuries ranging fro minor to more serious. The bus was being operated by JTR Transportation, and it remains unclear why it left the roadway.
The bus was headed to the popular tourist destination after starting out in Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley.
Authorities said that the driver of the bus has been identified as Fermin Vasquez, 66, of Wingdale, New York.
State police said Mr Vasquez was among those taken to a hospital but didn’t elaborate on his injuries.
Juan Gil-Urrego told WSYR-TV that his mother, Ximena Urrego, had arranged the trip, one of many she has planned to various destinations as affordable excursions for residents.
The bus left around 6am on one of the last trips of this summer, he said.
A few children were aboard, one possibly just a month old, Mr Gil-Urrego said.
His mother was taken to a hospital with glass in her eye and needing back surgery, her son said, but he was just relieved she had survived.
“It’s a miracle,” especially since another relative survived a bus crash in the past, he said.
“This time around, it hits me twice as hard to know that it happened to both of them already, and both of them made it.”
Auburn Community Hospital received about 27 patients, including Mr Vasquez, and was assessing their conditions, spokesperson Matthew Chadderdon said.
Three were transferred to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, which received 25 patients in all, spokesperson Darryl Geddes said.
One westbound lane was closed until early evening, and traffic was backed up in one direction for eight miles (nearly 13 kilometers) at one point, state police said.
Police tweeted at 6.30pm on Saturday that all lanes were once again open.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
