18 injured after Chicago-bound Megabus crash on I-65
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WLS) -- Eighteen people were injured when a Chicago-bound Megabus overturned on northbound I-65 near Indianapolis. The bus was headed from Atlanta to Chicago when it crashed Tuesday morning.
At 4:30 a.m., Logan Thompson, 22, of Columbus, Ind., lost control of his 2003 Saturn, striking the median and bouncing back into traffic, investigators said. The Megabus struck the back of the Saturn, flipped and became entangled with the median's cable barrier. The Saturn came to rest in a ditch on east side of I-65.
No one was seriously injured, officials said. Greenwood officials said 18 people were transported to local hospitals, Johnson County Memorial, Methodist and Eskaenazi Health, complaining of pain, contusions and small cuts from broken glass, and some had broken bones. Thirty-five others who were not injured were transported to a local hospital to be checked out. They were treated and released.
Passengers injured in the crash arrived in Chicago and shared their firsthand accounts of the terror, panic and chaos on board.
"We woke up to the bus swerving side to side, then it flipped over on the left side and we had to climb out," said Bridgette Hubbard.
"Everybody was screaming, shouting for help. It was total panic and chaos," said Manu Misra.
Indiana State Police say the bus driver swerved to avoid a stopped car on Interstate 65. The road was wet, and visibility not ideal.
"With the vehicle out there on the roadway - obviously it's not supposed to be there - but I can't say were the flashers on or off, we'll be looking at that," said Sgt. Rich Myers, Indiana State Police.
This is far from Megabus' first major mishap. In August of 2012, two people died in two separate crashes, including a 76 year-old woman hit by a Megabus near Union Station.
In the two years since, federal records reviewed by the ABC 7 I-Team, show 15 Megabus crashes across the country, but the company continues to enjoy a "satisfactory" rating from regulators.
That's not good enough for Jessica Jones, who was briefly trapped inside the over-turned bus.
ABC7's Ben Bradley asks: "Will you ever get on a Megabus again?"
Jones: "Hell no! Never again!"
Indiana State Police are still investigating the crash and haven't determined if citations will be issued.
