By Associated Press
Queenston, Ontario – At least three people were killed Sunday when a Bronx church group's van crashed and burned as it approached the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge near Niagara Falls. CFTO-TV in Toronto is reporting that a fourth person later died.
Officials said several passengers were injured, with two being airlifted from the scene and seven others taken to nearby hospitals.
The van, from Gospel Assembly Church in the Williamsbridge section, was taking 12 members back to the United States. The driver of the van, a deacon at the church, was among the dead, said assistant pastor Rev. Lloyd Daley.
"He was very faithful. He's a wonderful bus driver over the years. Every Sunday morning he would pick the Sunday school students up and he was faithful to the task," Daley said.
The bridge was closed in both directions after the accident, which occurred at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday.
Thomas Garlock, general manager of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, said the eastbound van was approaching a plaza when it struck a median, rolled over and burst into flames.
He said several fatal accidents have occurred there, all of them during the day and blamed on unsafe speeds. He said message signs warn drivers to slow down and tell them their speed before they reach the bridge.