The driver who was arrested for allegedly being high when he crashed his tour bus into another bus in Times Square was released late Wednesday when his preliminary toxicology results came back negative for drugs and alcohol, prosecutors said.
William Dalambert, 58, was initially arrested late Tuesday and charged with allegedly driving while impaired by drugs when he crashed his Gray Line double-decker bus into another tour bus just after 3 p.m., authorities said. But after spending the day awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday, Dalambert was let go, said his lawyer Stacey Richman.
The final toxicology report was expected by Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for the DA’s office, Joan Vollero, said in a statement that the DA deferred prosecution of Dalambert until the investigation was completed. Vollero confirmed the preliminary toxicology report came back negative for alcohol or drugs.
The office was “taking this matter seriously,” she said, and awaiting the full report.
Prior to the crash, Dalambert had a history of license and registration suspensions in New Jersey, where he lives, said Sandy Grossman, a spokeswoman for the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission.
None of his 20 violations involved DUIs, Grossman said.
His most recent violation was in November 2013. The majority of the violations were due to a suspension of his driver’s license for various reasons, including being an uninsured motorist, not submitting completed paperwork and not paying child support, she said.
Dalambert has a commercial driver’s license, she said. It is not known whether the violations were incurred on a personal or commercial vehicle.
Richman, Dalambert’s lawyer, said the violations don’t include anything “that would impact any aspect of driving.”
Tuesday’s crash, which resulted in a harried scene of tourists and emergency workers, injured several people, including a few seriously.
The collision also resulted in a traffic pole being knocked down, which injured several pedestrians.
Dalambert and a tour guide were the only people on the Gray Line bus, police said. A driver, a tour guide and five passengers were on the other bus, a City Sights tour bus.
A spokesman for Twin America, the company that operates the buses, said the driver passed a drug test in June. He added that the company is reviewing its safety rules and regulations.
