By Lisa Cornwell
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI — Authorities say a Greyhound bus left the highway, flipped and landed on its side in a cornfield in southwest Ohio and at least 35 people have been hurt, with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
Butler County officials say the bus carrying 51 passengers and the driver, was headed northbound on I-75 early Saturday when it overturned about 26 miles north of Cincinnati at approximately 4 a.m.
Butler County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Galloway says 35 people were taken to hospitals. He says six were taken by helicopters, and 29 others by ambulance.
Officials say the bus left Cincinnati and was bound for Detroit.
The state highway patrol did not immediately release a cause.
Greyhound Lines Inc. says the driver is experienced and was fully rested. The company says the bus also just an inspection.
None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, though several people were trapped and had to be extricated by firefighters and paramedics, the state highway patrol said in a statement.
The driver, who has been with the company for almost 15 years, had been on duty for an hour and was fully rested, said Kim Plaskett, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Greyhound Lines Inc.
The driver was among the injured, but she said she could not release the person’s name or medical condition due to medical privacy laws.
Plaskett said she couldn’t discuss any details of the crash or the possible cause. The company is cooperating with investigators and will talk to the driver to try to determine what happened, Plaskett said.