“He looked down, and when he looked back up, he saw a low bridge and he hit the low bridge,” Talmadge told the station.

Talmadge did not return multiple requests for comment Sunday.

Authorities later said they will also investigate how long Jackson had been at the wheel Saturday.

A collision reconstruction team began evaluating the damage to the bus after daybreak Sunday. State Police have also contacted the National Transportation Safety Board, which may join the investigation.

Police questioned Jackson and Talmadge Sunday and said they will not issue a citation or press charges until the investigation is complete, a process that is expected to take two to six weeks.

Soldiers Field Road and the Western Avenue Bridge were completely reopened early Sunday morning after the bus was lifted from the road.

—Matthew Q. Clarida contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Nicholas P. Fandos can be reached at nicholasfandos@college.harvard.edu. Follow him on Twitter @npfandos.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Feb. 3, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the day on which a charter bus crashed while trying to pass under the Western Avenue Bridge on Soldiers Field Road. In fact, the crash occurred on Saturday, not Friday.