Bronx Zoo Crash a Grisly Reminder of Another...

The Bronx Zoo crash that claimed the lives of an entire family is a grisly reminder of other accidents in New York City. While the Connecticut tour bus fatality in 2011 comes to mind, others crashes along the same stretch of highway bear resemblance.

Just the thought of hearing the breaking news stream across the television likely causes the hair on one's arm to stand on end. The tragedy that took place today was the deadliest since last year when 15 people lost their lives returning from a casino excursion, citing the Huffington Post.

In March of last year, a tour bus carrying 32 passengers from the Mohegan Sun to Chinatown, lost control, careened on its side, and into a pole. The resultant crash sliced the vehicle in half from front to back.

In the end, 15 people were dead, and many more injured. Ophadell Williams, the driver of that Bronx bus crash, was arrested and charged with many counts of manslaughter. He is awaiting trial.

What that accident and the Bronx Zoo crash have in common is the element of "losing control."

In June of last year, the driver of an SUV on the same stretch of River Parkway Roadway in the Bronx, lost control, hit a guard rail, and plummeted to a parking lot below. Thankfully, that accident in NYC did not result in any fatalities.

And again in 2009, a woman drove her vehicle in the wrong direction for about two miles before it collided with the driver of an SUV. Eight people lost their lives in that car crash. Authorities say that in that accident, alcohol was to blame.

The cause of vehicular crashes can usually be traced to either driver error, or some equipment fault or defect in the roadway or controls.

Recently, there has been a national push to prohibit anyone from texting or talking on a cell phone while driving a motor vehicle. However, most crashes involving serious injury and loss of life, have alcohol as a cause.

Hopefully, the Bronx Zoo crash investigation does not discover that the driver was impaired.