Three Dead After Greyhound Bus Crashes into Trailers in Illinois
Illinois state police have reported that three people were killed on Wednesday when a Greyhound bus crashed into three stranded trailers on a ramp off Interstate 70 in Madison County. The tragic accident occurred around 2:00 am, just outside of St. Louis.
According to sources from the initial investigation, the Greyhound bus was traveling west on Interstate 70 when it struck three commercial motor vehicles parked on the exit ramp to the westbound Silver Lake Interstate 70 rest area. The impact caused the death of three passengers and left several others with serious injuries. Four individuals were transported to the hospital by helicopter, while at least ten others were taken by ambulance.
Illinois State Police took to Facebook to confirm the deaths, stating, “Three deaths are confirmed and several more were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, four by helicopter and at least 10 by ambulance.” State police spokeswoman Melaney Arnold revealed that all those killed and injured were passengers aboard the Greyhound bus.
The accident caused the ramp to the rest area to be blocked for hours, with traffic on westbound I-70 reduced to one lane. Images from the scene depict the badly damaged front of the bus wedged in the back of a semi-trailer truck. The roof of the bus was crumpled, and a second tractor-trailer made contact with the right rear of the truck, while a third heavy unit crashed into the rear of the second semi-trailer.
Greyhound’s spokesman, Mike Ogulnick, confirmed the incident in an email, stating, “We can confirm that an incident occurred this morning involving Greyhound schedule number 1675 traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis.” He also mentioned that several passengers, including the driver, were transported to the hospital and that the company’s main concern is the well-being of the passengers and driver.
Illinois State Trooper Josh Korando revealed that the truckers involved had run off the highway to sleep and that the truck park at the rest area was full at the time of the accident. Although it is illegal in Illinois for trucks to park on exit ramps, truckers confirmed that semi-trucks often stop there for the night due to the difficulty of finding overnight parking at rest stops.
In a hopeful turn of events, one Greyhound passenger, Edward Alexander from Kansas, survived the accident and expressed gratitude for being saved. “I truly thank God after surviving the accident. I really feel blessed, it could have been me,” he stated. Alexander recounted that he was sleeping when the accident occurred but managed to help a pregnant woman escape through the truck’s window before jumping out himself after witnessing the vehicle fill with smoke.
Investigations into the destroyed Greyhound bus and the trailers it collided with will continue to determine liability in the incident.