Megabus crash on I-65 in Indiana, again
Police report 19 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a crash involving a Megabus on I-65 in Indiana. The bus was traveling from Chicago to Atlanta.
Edinburgh, Ind.
Indiana State Police say as many as 19 people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a crash involving a Megabus.
Indiana State Police Captain David R. Bursten says the crash happened around 5:30 a.m. Monday in the southbound lanes of Interstate 65. That's in Johnson County near Edinburgh, about 35 miles south of Indianapolis.
Police say a preliminary investigation shows the Megabus struck the back of the semi-truck, pushing the truck into two passenger vehicles.
The injured were taken to hospitals in Johnson, Marion and Shelby counties.
Megabus spokesman Sean Hughes said in a statement that the bus was traveling from Chicago to Atlanta. He says the company "is fully cooperating with the authorities and their investigation."
This is the fourth Indiana crash involving a Megabus since October.
In December 2014, a Megabus traveling from Chicago to Atlanta crashed on I-65. Twenty-seven people from the bus were treated for minor injuries.
In October, 2014, Megabus following the same route was involved in a crash on I-65 just south of Indianapolis, in which 18 people were treated for minor injuries.
In December 2013, the federal government put 52 bus companies out of business, ordering a total of 340 passenger vehicles off the road, as part of a effort to shut down unsafe motorcoach companies. As The Christian Science Monitor reported:
“Bus travel is increasingly popular because it is a convenient, inexpensive option for students, groups and families,"Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "But it must also be safe. Through Operation Quick Strike and our regular enforcement efforts, we’re shutting down companies that put passengers at risk and educating the public on safe motorcoach travel."
The motorcoach industry carries about 700 million passengers a year in the United States, roughly the same as domestic airlines do, and transports a wide variety of passengers, ranging from school bands to senior citizens.