Source: Scott Roberson/The Daily Journal/APues
Nineteen people were injured Monday when a Megabus charter bus collided with a semi-truck while traveling near Edinburgh, Indiana.
The crash was traveling from Chicago to Atlanta when it hit the back of a stopped semi-truck in a construction zone in the early hours of the morning. According to police, none of the passengers’ injuries were life threatening.
It is the tenth crash involving Megabus vehicles in the past two years. Five of those accidents also involved injuries.
Police say a state officer’s car with lights on was slowing traffic along Interstate 65 south of Indianapolis to allow construction vehicles to move from the side of the highway to the median. According to Trooper John Perrine, all other traffic had come to a stop, but the charter bus was not able to stop fast enough for “unknown reasons.”
Megabus has become well-known thanks to frequent $1 internet offers and easily recognizable blue double-decker coaches. According to a company statement, the charter bus service has carried 40 million travelers between over 120 major US cities.
“Safety is our number one priority and Megabus is fully cooperating with the authorities with their investigation into the incident,” said company spokesman Sean Hughes.
The crash raises several questions about both the safety of the Megabus service and the stretch of road in Indiana. In just the last year and a half, four three other Megabuses have crashed along the same stretch of highway.
In one instance, 53 passengers were injured on the same patch of road, after a driver swerved to avoid another crash and lost control.
