Allentown, PA — August 18, 2025, Emad Kasseri was killed in a bus accident at about 7:50 a.m. near the intersection of West Tilghman Street and North Ott Street.

Authorities said a Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority bus collided with a car near the intersection.

The driver of the car, 62-year-old Emad Kasseri, died after being transported to a nearby hospital, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Lehigh County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a bus operated by a public transit agency crashes into a car and kills the driver, people understandably want answers. Was the bus driver at fault? Did something go wrong with the bus itself? Was the other driver somehow responsible? At this point, we don’t know, and that’s a problem.

There’s no clear explanation yet for what led to the crash between the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority bus and Mr. Kasseri’s vehicle. Without more facts, we can’t know who had the right of way, who may have made a mistake, or whether mechanical failure played a role. What we do know is that public buses, like commercial trucks, operate under strict safety expectations. That’s because transit authorities, especially those carrying passengers through city intersections, have a duty to operate their vehicles safely, and to make sure their drivers are properly trained, supervised, and fit for the job.

Depending on how this crash happened, several questions could come into play:

• Was the bus moving through the intersection lawfully?
• Was the driver distracted or fatigued?
• Did the bus have onboard cameras that captured the collision?
• Are there local traffic or surveillance cameras that recorded what happened?
• Has the driver been involved in prior incidents?
• Did the transit authority follow proper hiring and training procedures?

These are the kinds of questions that only come to light through a thorough investigation, one that goes well beyond a surface-level police report. In past cases I’ve handled involving commercial or public vehicles, it often took subpoenaing video footage, obtaining cell phone records and digging into driver histories before the full story came into focus. Sometimes, the first reports got it wrong entirely.

If there’s dash cam or surveillance footage here, and there often is in urban transit cases, that could offer a critical, unbiased account of what happened in the moments before impact. But unless someone asks for that evidence promptly and knows where to look, it could be lost or overwritten.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear what led to the fatal collision between the bus and the car.
• Investigating whether the bus driver was distracted, reckless or improperly trained will be crucial.
• Onboard bus cameras and intersection surveillance may contain key evidence.
• Transit authorities can be held accountable if they fail to properly vet or supervise their drivers.
• A full investigation is needed before conclusions about fault can be responsibly drawn.