A double-decker Megabus crashed into a bridge
support pillar near Litchfield, Illinois on Thursday, August 2, killing a
24-year-old native of India and injuring at least 38 people. The bus, which was
at full capacity with 81 passengers, was traveling on Interstate 55 between
Chicago and Kansas City when it slammed into the bridge support beam.
Killed in the crash was 24-year-old Aditi R.
Avhad, an India native that was on her way to Columbia, Missouri. It is unclear
why she was heading to that destination, and authorities are still uncertain
where she was seated on the bus at the time of the crash.
First responders found the front end of the
bus completely crumpled and smashed into the support pillar. Some passengers on
the top deck of the bus were trapped inside and emergency crews were forced to
use a latter in order to reach them. Others that were able to exit themselves
assisted their fellow passengers, tending to the injured on the side of
Interstate 55.
Authorities estimate that at least 38 people
were taken to area hospitals. Five of those injured had to be airlifted to
hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri and Springfield, Illinois. Their conditions
are unknown at this time. "There was a lot of screaming and crying,"
said passenger Baysha Collins, who was thrown from her seat on the top deck of
the bus all the way down the stairway leading to the bus's bottom level.
"There was blood everywhere. I was just in shock."
In a statement issued after Thursday's crash,
the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they will "determine
if there are safety implications that merit agency action," but will not
be investigating the crash.
The double-decker bus was operated by
Megabus, a low cost bus company that has services over 19 million customers in
the U.S. and Canada. According
to USA Today, the company is no stranger to crashes. In 2010, four passengers
aboard another double-decker Megabus were killed when the driver slammed into a
low bridge near Syracuse, New York. The driver received homicide charges but
was later acquitted in a subsequent trial. Records show that Megabus was
involved in three crashes in 2011. One person died in each of those
crashes.
This incident is one in a recent string of
accidents involving low-fare busses. Safety advocates have suggested that
low-fare bus companies should be subjected to stricter regulations to prevent
these crashes from happening.
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