Toll Road accident involving bus snarls westbound traffic
HAMMOND — A Canadian couple were injured in a chain-reaction crash involving a Megabus on Tuesday that backed up traffic for miles on the Indiana Toll Road.
The crash happened at 12:58 p.m. in the westbound lanes of the Toll Road, about one mile east of the Indianapolis Boulevard exit, according to Indiana State Police.
The 63-year-old Richton Park, Illinois, man driving the Megabus apparently failed to slow down for traffic stopped ahead because of an earlier crash, leading to a chain-reaction collision, a statement from ISP said.
The Megabus first hit the left rear side of a Honda Pilot driven by a 41-year-old Michigan woman, pushing the Honda out of the way, police said.
A van in front of the Honda swerved, but the bus went on to hit a Kia four-door that spun out and struck the right barrier wall, police said.
A 68-year- old man from Calgary, Alberta, and his 69-year- old wife were inside the Kia, police said. They were taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus in Gary with injuries not thought to be lifethreatening.
The Megabus then swerved to the left and struck a 2012 Chevrolet Equi- nox driven by a 29-year-old Chicago woman, police said. The Equinox then struck a 2014 Subaru Outback, driven by a 40-year-old Greenwood man. Neither was hurt.
Eighty passengers were aboard the Megabus, including one unaccompanied minor, police said. Paramedics examined all of them, but none was injured.
The Megabus passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their trip from Indianapolis to Chicago, police said.
Authorities closed two left lanes to investigate the crash, and traffic was backed up for about three miles, Toll Road officials said. All lanes were reopened by early evening.