HIGHLAND, Ill. — There's new information about a fatal Greyhound bus crash in the Metro East last summer that killed three people and injured 14 near Highland, Illinois. Federal investigators say the driver of the bus, which hit a tractor trailer, was involved in four other crashes dating back to 2018 including one that the NTSB said was preventable.
As of mid-July, investigators say they've still been unable to interview the bus driver.
In 2023, a Greyhound bus struck three semi tractor-trailers parked on the exit ramp to Silver Lake Rest Area, about 25 miles east of St. Louis. The three fatalities came from on board the bus.
The crash happened just before 2 a.m and Greyhound confirmed to Spectrum News that the bus was traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis.
The victims of the deadly crash were identified as:
- Buford Pena, 71, of Supai, Arizona
- Bradley L. Donovan, 47, of Springfield, Illinois
- Juan E. Vasquez-Rodriguez, 34, of Passaic, New Jersey
Images of the crash scene shows the side of the bus peeled open and damage to the roof. At least one tractor-trailer has damage to the rear, with its side peeled back and contents exposed.
Dawanda Parker, from California, was on a cross-country trip that started in Buffalo and was supposed to end in downtown Los Angeles. She told Spectrum News she was asleep in the last row when the crash happened.
"I just see a guy in front of me that's slumped over.....I got to get him to go....but he wouldn't move." She believes the man died in the crash. Parker and others kicked a window out and climbed out of the bus.
Ilinois State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold said those killed and injured were all on the Greyhound bus.
It is illegal in Illinois for trucks to park on exit ramps. But trucking industry experts say semis often stop at that exit ramp for the night because overnight parking is hard to find at rest stops, truck stops, and other places.