Fatal bus crash renews calls for long-sought access gate for emergency vehicles on I-84

WAWAYANDA - Last week's fatal bus crash on Interstate 84 has renewed calls for a long-sought crash gate for emergency vehicles on the highway.

Meanwhile, the five students who had been listed in critical condition following the crash have now been downgraded to less serious conditions, according to state police. They said 22 other students now have been discharged from local hospitals.

State police also identified the driver of the bus as Lisa Schaffer, 59, of Centereach.

At a news conference on Monday, state Senator James Skoufis, D-Cornwall, and state Assemblyman Karl Brabanec, R-Deerpark, joined town of Wawayanda Supervisor Denise Quinn and local first responders in calling on the state Department of Transportation and Governor Kathy Hochul to support funding for a long-sought crash gate on the section of I-84 where the crash happened.

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What is a crash gate?

Local officials in Wawayanda and the state police have been calling for the installation of a new emergency access point between the Goshen and Mountain Road exits on the interstate highway for more than 20 years.

They say the lack of a so-called crash gate along that section of the interstate, which is more than 10 miles long, prevents a timely response by ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

They estimate a crash gate in that area could improve response time by 10 to 15 minutes.

Bus carrying high school band crashes: What happened

On Thursday last week, a charter bus carrying 40 students and four adults from the Farmingdale school district on Long Island rolled into a ravine on that section of I-84, killing two adults and injuring 40 students, five of them critically.

Those killed were identified as Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, a retired teacher at Farmingdale High School who was serving as a chaperone, and Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, the band director at the high school. As of Tuesday, a GoFundMe calling for donations for the victims' families has raised $34,205.

The bus was one of six chartered by the school to bring the students to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania.

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Why fire chief says crash gate need is 'critical'

"When lifesaving care is needed, every second counts," Skoufis said.

"There are numerous motor vehicle accidents and incidents that happen on this stretch of Interstate 84," Brabenec said. "This emergency entrance is critical to improving response time for our first responders and ultimately saving lives."

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Brabenec said adding the crash gate "has been unnecessarily delayed for several years, which is unacceptable."

Slate Hill Fire District Chief Michael Dally said the need for the crash gate is "critical."

"Last week's horrific incident has brought attention to this once again, and I hope this time is different," Dally said. "Every minute counts in these situations."

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Crash gate on I-84 sought again in wake of fatal bus crash