JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. (Oct. 14, 2014) – A serious crash in Greenwood shut down I-65 for several hours Monday morning.
The crash happened around 4:25 a.m. on I-65 northbound near mile marker 98. A Megabus bound from Atlanta for Chicago made contact with a car at the side of the road and flipped over.
According to Indiana State Police, officers were initially sent to the area for a car crash, but when they arrived on scene they also discovered the overturned bus. A 2003 Saturn car had gone off the road and hit the cable barrier, police said. The vehicle came to rest facing east, with the rear of the car in the right lane. State police said the driver of the car, Logan Thompson, 22, Columbus, veered off the road “due to driver inattention.”
The double-decker Megabus hit the back of the car, sending it into a ditch. The bus went into the median.
“The bus was coming northbound on I-65 struck by another vehicle and the bus actually flipped over in the median as you see it right here and that’s where it hit the guard rail,” according to Battalion Chief Chris Harrell from Greenwood Fire. The guard rail “absolutely saved this bus from going into the southbound traffic.”
State police said seven people went to Eskenazi Hospital with the most serious injury being a possible broken arm. Those transported to Eskenazi Health were:
- Rosetta Sullivan, 44, of Illinois
- Hong Thu Le, 20, of Tennessee
- Valerie, 41, of Illinois
- Lennel S. Sorrels, 33, of Illinois
- Dina Allen, 43, of Illinois
- Tatianna Johnson, 19, of Illinois
- Mashour Hamad M. Alqahtan, 30, no town listed
Seven people, including Thompson, were transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital. All were treated for complaints of pain, contusions, and small cuts from broken glass:
- Paul Blackman, 23, of Georgia
- Logan Thompson, 22, of Indiana
- Melvan Beamer, 29, of Minnesota
- Stacy Melson, 46, 0f Kentucky
- Mattie Johnson, no age listed, of Illinois
- Shanice Joyner, 19, of Illinois
- Krystal Akons, 44, of Illinois
Four people were transported to Johnson County Memorial Hospital and treated for complaints of pain, contusions and small cuts from broken glass:
- Manu Misra, 30, of Illinois
- Vanessa Akons, 49, of Illinois
- Andre Lindsey, 25, of Illinois
- Angela Mithell, 49, of Illinois
Megabus issued the following statement:
“We can confirm that one of our vehicles travelling from Atlanta, GA to Chicago, IL was involved in an incident on the I-65 near Greenwood, IN at around 4.30am today (Tuesday 14 October 2014). Emergency services are at the scene of the incident and we understand that a number of passengers who were on board the coach at the time have been taken to hospital. Our first thoughts and best wishes are with everyone involved.
“We will be providing assistance and support for all of our customers involved in this incident.
“Safety is our absolute priority and we are assisting the authorities with their investigation into the circumstances of the incident.”
Sean Hughes
Associate Director of Corporate Affairs
Coach USA North America
Video from inside the bus courtesy Megabus passenger Craig Steichen:
Another 35 patients were taken as a precaution to St. Francis Hospital. Officials there said the patients were being treated mostly for cuts and bruises at the emergency room. Extra doctors have been called in to help with the influx of patients.
Police shut down all lanes of I-65 northbound and partially closed southbound lanes. By 7:30 a.m., southbound lanes were reopen. Emergency crews originally said they planned to move the bus into the median so northbound traffic could get through. The bus would then be removed after rush hour.
However, it appeared by around 8 a.m. that the bus was upright and being towed away. Northbound and southbound lanes were open by about 8:10 a.m. with the crash scene cleared.
