3 dead after Greyhound bus crashes into tractor-trailers along Interstate 70, Illinois State Police say
Greyhound tells FOX Business that driver, multiple passengers are hospitalized
Three people have died in Illinois Wednesday after a Greyhound bus crashed into a trio of commercial motor vehicles along Interstate 70 in Madison County, state police say.
The fatal accident outside of St. Louis happened around 2 a.m., according to investigators.
"Initial investigation indicates a Greyhound passenger bus with passengers was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 and struck three commercial motor vehicles parked on the exit ramp to the Silver Lake Interstate 70 westbound rest area," Illinois State Police said on Facebook. "Three fatalities are confirmed and multiple others were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, four by helicopter and at least 10 by ambulance."
State police spokesperson Melaney Arnold told The Associated Press that those killed and injured were all on the Greyhound bus.
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A worker helps clear the wreckage of a Greyhound bus that collided with tractor-trailers on the exit ramp to a rest area on westbound Interstate 70 in Highland, Illinois, on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP / AP Newsroom)
The accident closed down the ramp to the rest area for hours before it later was reopened Wednesday morning. For a period of time, traffic on I-70 westbound was reduced to just one lane.
Television footage of the scene shows the badly damaged right front portion of the bus wedged onto the rear of a tractor-trailer. The roof of the bus is crumpled. A second tractor-trailer appears to have made contact with the right rear of the bus while a third tractor-trailer appears to have crashed into the rear of that second semi.
Greyhound spokesperson Mike Ogulnick told FOX Business in an email, "We can confirm an incident occurred this morning involving Greyhound schedule number 1675 traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis."
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Officials examine a wrecked tractor-trailer that a Greyhound bus collided with on the exit ramp to a rest area on westbound Interstate 70 in Highland, Illinois, on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (AP Newsroom)
"Multiple passengers, including our driver, have been transported to the hospital. Our primary concern is ensuring we care for our passengers and driver at this time," he added. "We are working closely with local authorities."
Illinois State Trooper Josh Korando told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the truckers hit had pulled off the highway to sleep and the rest area's parking lot for trucks was full at the time.
It is illegal in Illinois for trucks to park on exit ramps. But trucking industry experts told the AP that semis often stop there for the night because overnight parking is hard to find at rest stops.
Greyhound tells FOX Business it is working closely with local authorities following the fatal accident. (iStock)
Passenger Edward Alexander of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that "I thank God for real" after surviving the crash.
"I really feel blessed," he said. "It could've been me."
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Alexander told the newspaper that he was sleeping when the crash happened. After coming to a stop, he helped a pregnant woman escape through a bus window and then jumped out himself after seeing the vehicle fill up with smoke, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch added.
Another passenger told the newspaper that he felt the bus pass over rumble strips just prior to the crash.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.