Police were forced to shut down both directions of I-65 at Greenwood, Indiana after a double-decker Megabus overturned near Indianapolis. The Megabus (part of the very same Megabus company that runs here in San Antonio) crashed around 4:30 a.m. while carrying between fifty and sixty passengers.
The fire department reported that one person was taken to a hospital in critical condition, while eighteen others suffered personal injuries. Several others were brought in to the hospital for examination as a result of the Megabus accident in Greenwood.
The Megabus accident in Greenwood occurred as the bus was headed from Georgia to Chicago. The crash occurred after the driver of the Megabus swerved to avoid a stopped car in the northbound lanes of I-65. Police say the Megabus clipped the back of that car, causing the bus to tip on its side in the median.
Sean Hughes, Associate Director of Corporate Affairs of Coach USA North America, released the following statement following the incident: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles travelling from Atlanta, GA to Chicago, IL was involved in an incident on the I-65 near Greenwood, IN at around 4.30am today (Tuesday 14 October 2014). Emergency services are at the scene of the incident and we understand that a number of passengers who were on board the coach at the time have been taken to hospital.”
The incident was the latest in a series of Megabus disasters. In August 2012, two separate Megabus crashes led to two deaths. In the years since, Megabus has been involved in at least 22 crashes in the United States. This Megabus accident in Greenwood serves as a warning to those traveling in San Antonio and across the state of Texas. If you or a loved one has been involved in a Megabus accident, call a Carabin Shaw attorney today.
Megabus, a curbside bus company that offers fares as low as $1, is a part of the larger low-cost bus industry that has continued to grow at a rapid rate. But while the low prices are certainly enticing to many customers, these budget buses have an alarmingly high accident rate across the board. In fact, a study conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board found that curbside buses had a fatality rate seven times higher than that of traditional bus lines. Megabus alone has been subjected to scores of lawsuits filed by personal injury attorneys on behalf of their injured clients.
Despite the company’s questionable track record, Megabus has managed to maintain a “Satisfactory Rating” from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – a rating that has generated intense public backlash.
Former Megabus riders have taken to the Internet to air their grievances in the form of hundreds of one-star reviews on various platforms. Multiple lawyers have filed and settled negligence lawsuits. There’s even a Twitter account (@MegabusCrashes) dedicated to cataloging the company’s crashes.
One former Megabus writer, Lucas Peterson, wrote about his own Megabus horror story in a series of widely shared tweets. Peterson, a writer for the New York Times travel blog the Frugal Traveler, was riding a Megabus when all passengers were evacuated and asked to switch buses. Shortly after the passengers were removed from the Megabus, the bus went up in flames and then exploded; Peterson was able to capture the event in a series of photos. He summed up his terrifying experience by saying, "on Megabus, you get what you pay for."
Despite all of this, thousands of customers continue to ride Megabuses every day – including right here in San Antonio.
If you or a loved one has been injured on a Megabus in the San Antonio area, call Carabin Shaw’s dedicated team of San Antonio Megabus injury lawyers at 800-862-1260. Our specialized attorneys have years of experience in handling commercial bus accident cases, and we want to help you get the compensation you deserve. Click for more information on bus accidents, and call our attorneys today – we will fight for you.