Greyhound spokesperson Alexandra Pedrini said 37 passengers and the driver were taken to six area hospitals. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, hospital officials said.
Six were taken by helicopters, said Jeff Galloway, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency. The injuries ranged from minor to severe, officials said.
The bus left the Cincinnati terminal at 2:55 a.m. and was due to arrive in Detroit at 7:15 a.m. with no stops or layovers.
At 3:58 a.m., the bus went off of the highway between a rest area and the Ohio 63 exit in Monroe, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office said. The bus landed on its side in a cornfield several hundred yards from the right side of the highway, officials said.
At least 75 emergency responders from Butler and Warren counties were at the scene.
CareFlight and AirCare helicopter units landed on the shut-down lanes of I-75 to transport injured passengers. Triage care was given to some at the scene, said Galloway.
Saturday evening, six patients were still being treated. Injuries appeared to be non-life threatening.
Spokesperson Nancy Thickel said that four patients delivered by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. One male and one female were treated and released, and one male was admitted in good condition with bruises and contusions. One female underwent surgery for a broken leg and was admitted, she said.
Eleven of 13 people taken to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown and all but one of the 14 taken to West Chester Hospital had been released as of Saturday evening, according to officials at both hospitals. The conditions of those who remained hospitalized were not released.
One person was admitted to MercyHealth-Fairfield Hospital, according to spokeswoman Lauryn Moore, who did not have that patient’s condition.
Two patients taken to Bethesda North in Cincinnati remained there Saturday evening, with one in serious condition, hospital spokesman Michael Mattingly said. Terri Ann Fredette, a spokeswoman for University of Cincinnati Medical Center, said two people were taken there. One was released and the other remained in stable condition.
As of Saturday night, Greyhound did not release the bus driver’s name. However, the driver had a clean driving record and has been with Greyhound for 15 years, Pedrini said.
The bus that crashed had been checked 14 days ago by federal inspectors, Pedrini said. They are required by Federal law to be inspected every 12,000 miles.
“All of our drivers also do a pre-trip inspection to make sure the vehicle is road-ready,” she said.
Greyhound has a “satisfactory” rating from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It has held that rating - the highest possible - for more than 25 years, Pedrini said.
Lt. Edward Mejia of the highway patrol said the cause of the crash is under investigation. It was deemed a mass casualty incident because of the large number of victims involved.
Passenger William Brown said he was asleep in the bus when it overturned. He was headed to Detroit to visit his family.
“I never thought that I would be part of an incident that occurred, especially today, just trying to get home to see my family,” Brown said. “I’m just glad that a lot of people are still alive and OK.”
The bus was turned upright around 9:30 a.m. and the highway was reopened around 11 a.m.
Pedrini said Greyhound dispatched a relief bus to pick up the 14 uninjured passengers and a crisis response team to the scene when it got word of the crash.
The relief bus transported the uninjured passengers back to the Cincinnati terminal, where they could catch the next bus to Detroit if they wished. That bus was scheduled to leave around noon.
If passengers chose to change their plans that was up to them, she said.
Staff Writer Ken-Yon Hardy contributed to this report. This report contains informaton from The Associated Press.
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