HIGHLAND, Ill — Emergency crews in Madison County, Illinois, were on the scene of a deadly crash early Wednesday morning that closed all lanes of westbound Interstate 70 near Highland.
The crash happened at about 1:55 a.m. According to Illinois State Police, a Greyhound bus was carrying passengers westbound on I-70 when it struck three commercial vehicles parked on the exit ramp to the Silver Lake Rest Stop.
According to Greyhound, the bus was traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis.
Three people died in the crash. Multiple others, including the driver of the bus, were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said. Four people were transported by helicopter, and at least 10 were transported by ambulance.
Texas truck driver David Cherno said his truck was one of the three the bus hit. He said he and a Greyhound passenger jumped into action.
“I went flying all around my cabin. My brain told me I wasn’t dreaming. The bus was on fire and I ran to get my fire extinguisher and we put it out. People were flapping the windows open on the roadside, so we then ran over there and just started pulling people out of windows,” Cherno said.
Video and photos taken by Cherno showed the aftermath of the crash.
No one in the commercial vehicles was injured.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Illinois State Police were sending a team to the site to investigate the crash. NTSP board member Tom Chapman said in a 3:30 news briefing that the investigation was in its early stages and further details on what led up to the crash were not immediately available.
Chapman said the NTSB expects to be at the scene conducting its investigation for about a week. NTSB's Disaster Relief Team will be on-site to assist the families of all passengers who were involved in the crash.
"Our investigation is a safety investigation intended to determine the probable cause of the accident, any contributing factors and determine whether recommendations should be made to help ensure that similar tragedies do not occur in the future," Chapman said. "On behalf of all of us at the NTSB, I would also like to extend our sincere condolences to the survivors and to the families and friends of this tragedy."
As of 2:30 p.m., the scene of the crash was clear of debris and crews.
Crash survivor
Edward Alexander, a passenger on the bus, said he was seated near the back of the bus when the crash jolted him awake early Wednesday morning.
"I heard a boom. When that occurred, I ended up sliding through the aisle," he said. "I felt my nose, full of blood, and that's when I looked behind me and saw the pregnant girl."
Alexander, a resident of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, said he helped the woman get out of the window as the bus started filling with smoke.
Alexander said he and the other five passengers that were not taken to the hospital were stuck on the side of the road for hours.
He said Greyhound offered him $2,500 after he arrived in St. Louis because he said they didn't want people to sue. He said he took the money.
He said he still does not have his luggage. He was awaiting a bus to take him to his final destination of Little Rock, Arkansas.
He said though he was not physically injured, the crash will stick with him for a while. He said his thoughts are with the people killed in the crash.
"Seeing dead bodies, that's traumatizing," he said.
"I almost lost my life, you know what I'm saying," he added. "That's probably going to get to me for a little bit. I ain't never been through something like this."
I-70 reopened
The Illinois Department of Transportation initially expected the interstate closure at the Silver Lake Rest Stop, between mileposts 30 and 24, to last until 7 a.m. All lanes and the exit ramp to the rest area have since reopened.
The route between Indianapolis and St. Louis takes four hours. The crash happened 45 minutes from the St. Louis destination.
A spokesperson for Greyhound shared the following statement Wednesday:
"Our primary concern is ensuring we care for our passengers and driver at this time. We are working closely with local authorities and a relief bus is on the way for passengers."
As of about 8 a.m., the Greyhound relief bus had taken passengers to the St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center.
This is a breaking news story. 5 On Your Side will update it as more information becomes available.
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