{
  "id": "2022-11-19-brandeis-university-shuttle-bus-crash",
  "slug": "brandeis-university-shuttle-bus-crash-2022-11-19",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Brandeis University",
    "shortName": "Brandeis",
    "state": "MA",
    "type": "private-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "BrandeisALERT",
    "enrollment": 5800
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2022-11-19",
    "type": "other",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "headline": "A shuttle bus strikes two trees, killing one student and injuring dozens",
    "headlinePublic": "A shuttle bus strikes two trees, killing one student and injuring dozens",
    "summary": "Late on the night of November 19, 2022, a Brandeis University shuttle (a 'Branvan') returning students from Boston [crashed on South Street in Waltham](https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/11/20/brandeis-university-waltham-crash-student-dead), striking two trees. [Undergraduate Vanessa Mark, 25, was killed and 26 others were injured](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/brandeis-university-bus-accident/index.html). Investigators later alleged the driver was speeding at 52 mph in a 30 mph zone and had logged excessive hours; he was charged with motor vehicle homicide.",
    "outcome": "One Brandeis undergraduate, Vanessa Mark, 25, was killed and 26 others injured. The university issued community notifications overnight and through the next day. Massachusetts State Police found the driver was traveling 52 mph in a 30 mph zone and failed to brake; he was later charged with motor vehicle homicide.",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Overnight into the early hours of November 20, 2022, after the ~10:30 PM EST November 19 crash",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Dear students,\n\nI write to you with a heavy heart as we begin to learn the early details of Saturday night's Boston-Cambridge shuttle accident and we await word on the condition of 27 riders who were transported to area hospitals. Sadly, we know that one person on the shuttle has died. We ask that anyone with information about the accident please reach out to Brandeis Public Safety at 781-736-3333. We will update our community as we learn more information.\n\nThe Brandeis Counseling Center can be reached 24-7 at 781-736-3730 and is available to assist students throughout the night. The Counseling Center will be open Sunday from 12 to 4 with grief counselors; students are encouraged to drop in for support. The Dean of Students Office, the Office of Graduate Student Affairs, and the Center for Spiritual Life will be open Monday-Wednesday this week.\n\nPlease consider reaching out to your family and close friends to let them know that you are safe. I encourage you to check in on your friends in the coming days and to be gentle with yourself and those around you.\n\nSincerely,\nAndrea Dine\nInterim Vice President for Student Affairs",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.brandeis.edu/provost/letters/2022-2023/2022-11-20-shuttle-accident.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Brandeis Provost letter: Shuttle Accident student message (Nov 20, 2022)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official student-facing community message embedded in Provost Fierke/Uretsky Shuttle Accident letter on brandeis.edu.",
        "The crash involved a university-operated shuttle (the campus 'Branvan' / Joseph's Transportation contract service), making this a transportation-safety incident on a public road rather than a Clery campus-crime warning.",
        "This message functions as a bereavement and resource notification, not a hazard alert, since the danger had ended at the scene."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1138
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of November 20, 2022",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "November 20, 2022\n\nDear Brandeis Community,\n\nI know that sadness over last night's fatal shuttle accident is rippling through our community today. We are all experiencing the shock of such a terrible accident, and everyone's recovery will take time.\n\nThe Waltham Police Department has identified the person who tragically died in the crash as undergraduate student Vanessa Mark. While Vanessa was currently on leave, she was living in Waltham and was an active and cherished member of the Brandeis community. We have been in touch with Vanessa's family and will continue to stay in contact with them in the coming days, and we will keep you updated about ways we will honor Vanessa's memory.\n\nGiven the tragedy that our community is experiencing, Provost Carol Fierke and I have decided that classes scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 21 and 22) will be canceled. This will enable some students to return to family and friends sooner than the normal holiday schedule would have allowed. For students who will remain on campus, we will have additional opportunities to gather and receive support.\n\nI want to reiterate the resources that are available for us to draw upon at this difficult time. Students can contact the Brandeis Counseling Center 24-7 at 781-736-3730. The Counseling Center will be open Sunday until 4 p.m. with grief counselors available; students are encouraged to drop in for support. The Dean of Students Office, the Office of Graduate Student Affairs, and the Center for Spiritual Life will be open Monday-Wednesday this week. Staff and faculty who may be struggling with this loss can get help through the Employee Assistance Plan. Most importantly, we all need to support and comfort each other.\n\nAdding to the difficulty of absorbing such painful news is the fact that we all have many unanswered questions at this time. We have been working with Waltham Police as the accident is investigated and will continue to be in close contact with the department. Nothing is more important than the safety of our students, and we are committed to learning all that we can about how this happened. University leaders will continue to share information as we learn more.\n\nIn a few days, many of us will be gathering with family and friends; while this holiday may be difficult, it is my hope that spending time with loved ones will help us begin to heal. When we return from the break, I know our community will continue to come together in support of one another.\n\nSincerely,\n\nRon Liebowitz",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.brandeis.edu/president/letters/2022-11-20-sad-news.html",
      "sourceDescription": "Brandeis President Liebowitz letter: Sad news (Nov 20, 2022)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official presidential community letter recovered from brandeis.edu/president/letters/2022-11-20-sad-news.html.",
        "Classes canceled Monday-Tuesday Nov 21-22; Vanessa Mark identified as the undergraduate who died.",
        "This message functions as a bereavement and resource notification, not a hazard alert, since the danger had ended at the scene."
      ],
      "characterCount": 2509
    }
  ],
  "context": "The crash happened at about 10:30 PM EST on Saturday, November 19, 2022, when a Brandeis shuttle returning to campus [crashed on South Street in Waltham](https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/11/20/brandeis-university-waltham-crash-student-dead) and struck two trees. [CNN reported](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/brandeis-university-bus-accident/index.html) that one person was killed and 26 injured in the rollover-type wreck. The deceased was identified as 25-year-old undergraduate Vanessa Mark. A [2023 Boston Globe report](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/22/metro/driver-fatal-crash-brandeis-shuttle-was-speeding-federal-records-say/) said federal records showed the driver, Jean Fenelon, 58, was traveling 52 mph in a 30 mph zone and had logged more than 73 hours over eight consecutive days, beyond federal limits; [NBC Boston reported](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/driver-charged-in-2022-shuttle-bus-crash-that-killed-brandeis-student/3180522/) he was later charged with motor vehicle homicide. Brandeis's community notifications, reconstructed here, focused on confirming casualties and mobilizing grief support rather than warning of an ongoing threat.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "A Brandeis shuttle crashed on South Street in Waltham at about 10:30 PM EST on November 19, 2022, killing undergraduate Vanessa Mark and injuring 26",
    "Investigators alleged the driver was speeding (52 in a 30 zone), failed to brake, and had logged more than 73 hours over eight days, exceeding federal limits",
    "The driver was later charged with motor vehicle homicide; the incident raised questions about university shuttle-contractor oversight",
    "Both reconstructed notifications are honestly marked isVerbatimConfirmed:false because the verbatim BrandeisALERT/email text could not be recovered"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "1 dead, 27 injured in Brandeis University shuttle bus crash in Waltham - WBUR",
      "url": "https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/11/20/brandeis-university-waltham-crash-student-dead",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Brandeis University bus accident: One person killed in rollover incident near Massachusetts campus - CNN",
      "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/brandeis-university-bus-accident/index.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Driver in fatal crash of Brandeis shuttle was speeding, federal records say - The Boston Globe",
      "url": "https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/22/metro/driver-fatal-crash-brandeis-shuttle-was-speeding-federal-records-say/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Driver charged in 2022 shuttle bus crash that killed Brandeis student - NBC Boston",
      "url": "https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/driver-charged-in-2022-shuttle-bus-crash-that-killed-brandeis-student/3180522/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Sad news - Letter from President Ron Liebowitz, November 20, 2022 - Brandeis University",
      "url": "https://www.brandeis.edu/president/letters/2022-11-20-sad-news.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Shuttle Accident - Provost Letter to the Community, November 20, 2022 - Brandeis University",
      "url": "https://www.brandeis.edu/provost/letters/2022-2023/2022-11-20-shuttle-accident.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "transportation",
    "shuttle-crash",
    "massachusetts",
    "student-death",
    "community-notification",
    "waltham"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-28",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}