After bus accident in NYC, company issues a timely and sensitive statement

Within hours, the media were speculating about the cause of the accident, citing everything from a sleepy driver to a collision with a truck. Journalists also quickly seized on the tour company, World Wide Travel, digging up reports of previous safety violations.

So far, the official cause of the accident has not been determined.

In a recent article, I listed “Seven Rules to Remember When a Crisis Strikes.” Despite being under tremendous pressure, World Wide Travel quickly released a statement that achieved at least four of those seven rules. It reads, in full:

“At approximately 5:30 this morning a World Wide Travel bus carrying passengers between Mohegan Sun and New York City was involved in an accident, turned on its side, and struck a sign post. We are heartbroken to report that several of our passengers lost their lives or were injured. We are cooperating fully with investigators in trying to determine the exact sequence of events.