- Saturday December 20th, 2014 :: 05:24 p.m. EST
Passengers Injured During Megabus Crash On I-65 In Seymour
Seymour - Several passengers were injured during a Megabus crash on I-65 early this morning north of Seymour, Indiana.
According to Indiana State Police Trooper Matt Holley, around 05:25 AM, a Megabus carrying around 26 passengers and two drivers was traveling south on I-65 within the 55mm when it slid off the road into the median and fell over onto the driver’s side. Several passengers were injured during the crash. Some injured passengers were transported to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour by Jackson County EMS and at least one was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis at the time of this release. Uninjured passengers were taken to Seymour Middle School as local American Red Cross hosted them for shelter.
Trooper Holley stated that changing weather conditions and speed may have contributed to the cause of this crash.
Seymour Police Department arrived on scene around 05:30 AM and located the Megabus on its side across the median. Indiana State Police was assisted on the scene by Jackson County EMS and Seymour Division of INDOT. There were several other crashes in the area of this crash site while the investigation was being conducted. The investigation is on-going. I will update this release when further information is gathered.
Update: Seymour – The number of passengers on the Megabus at the time of the crash is between 65-70, not 26 as previously reported. A more precise number of passengers and injuries will be released once all information is gathered.
Update: Seymour – On December 20, 2014 around 05:25 AM, a Megabus carrying around 68 passengers on its way to Louisville, Kentucky crashed on I-65 within the 55 mile-marker.
According to Indiana State Police Trooper Matt Holley, Christopher Kelley 50, of Olympia Fields, Illinois was driving the Megabus southbound on I-65 in the left-lane. Road conditions were quickly changing due to light snow and low temperatures. While moving to the right-lane Kelley lost control of the bus. The bus slid off the roadway and into the grassy median, turned over, landing on the driver’s side and came to rest across the grassy median. Police and some crash passengers assisted with getting passengers off of the bus.
Twenty-six passengers were transported to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour by Jackson County Emergency Medical Services. Twenty-four passengers were treated and released at Schneck Medical Center for injuries as serious as a broken collar-bone to as minor as scrapes and abrasions. The patient reported earlier that was transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis was determined to be unrelated to the Megabus crash.Trooper Holley stated that the use of a seatbelt by many passengers lessened the severity of injury.
The uninjured passengers were taken from the scene by a Seymour Community Schools bus to Seymour Middle School. As of this update, all passengers in this crash, including those treated and released from Schneck Medical have been provided other transportation and are back enroute to their prior destinations.
The Megabus driver, Christopher Kelley, complained of back pain. He refused medical attention. The co-driver Phillip A. Brown, no age available, of Park Forest, Illinois was not injured. Passengers on the Megabus were from several different cities between Chicago Heights, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia.
This crash is still being investigated. The possibility of enforcement action is still being determined.
Other agencies assisting with this incident include Jackson County Emergency Management, Seymour Middle School staff and Seymour Community Schools Corporation.
Address/Location
Indiana State Police-Versailles District 42-Versailles, IN
902 South Adams Street
Versailles, IN 47042
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 812-689-5000