The recent spate of Arctic cold that swept down from the north to paralyze most of the states south of the Mason-Dixon line took its toll here in Kentucky as well. Authorities are blaming the ice and snow from the winter storm for contributing to the Interstate 65 chain-reaction collision that involved a Greyhound bus.
The Kentucky State Police (KSP) reported that the accident happened earlier this week on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at approximately 8:40 a.m., as the driver headed toward Nashville on the snowy highway with a busload of passengers.
The accident was kicked off by a 2007 Volvo tractor-trailer with a Florida man at the wheel. He rammed into a Kentucky Transportation Safety Patrol. The vehicle, lights flashing, had been pulled off into the emergency lane.
After that initial impact, the big rig then struck a service truck that was parked in the lane just ahead of the Safety Patrol unit. It was the service truck, following the second impact, that hit the Greyhound from behind. The bus was also pulled off to the side in the emergency lane when it got hit.
Another large truck from Fort Wayne then hit the first semitruck. All told, two cars, a bus and four trucks remained tangled across both lanes of the now-closed interstate in Hart County’s Bonnieville, located south of Elizabethtown.
The KSP announced that a total of 21 drivers and passengers got hurt. Of the 21, 18 of those injured were riding on the bus. Local hospitals treated the injured, most of whose injuries were considered to be minor. A child was listed in stable condition at a local medical facility on Wednesday.
Those on the bus who were able to resume their journey to Nashville were transported by another bus.
The wreck closed all southbound lanes of the interstate for multiple hours as the wreckage was cleared and the accident investigated. It’s unknown whether any drivers will be charged.
In an accident such as this one, multiple defendants may share various levels of liability, which can be difficult to determine. Learn all that you can about the circumstances surrounding your accident so that you can be fully compensated for your injuries.
Source: WKRN, “21 people injured in Kentucky chain reaction crash involving Greyhound bus,” Jan. 17, 2018