Illinois bus crash: Three dead and 14 seriously injured after Greyhound collision with semi-trucks

Three people have died and at least 14 are seriously injured after a Greyhound bus crashed into three semi-trucks on a highway in Illinois. 

Officials said the passenger bus carrying around 30 people hit three 'commercial motor vehicles' while traveling on the Interstate 70 westbound carriageway in the Silver Lake Rest Area of Madison County at 1.54am Wednesday. 

One of the drivers whose truck was hit said he was thrown from his vehicle by the impact, and photographs from the scene show the Greyhound bus - reportedly number 1675 - was almost completely destroyed. 

The victims were Greyhound bus passengers, according to State Police spokesperson Melaney Arnold, and no one from the three trucks involved was injured. 

Illinois State Police said three people have been confirmed dead and 'multiple others' were taken to the hospital with 'serious injuries', including four by helicopter and at least 10 by ambulance. 

Three people have died and at least 14 are seriously injured after a Greyhound bus crashed into three semi-trucks on a highway in Illinois at 1.54am Wednesday, officials have said 

A tractor-trailer with its rear obliterated has been pictured at the scene of the crash which killed three people, as officials surveyed the damage before it was towed away from the scene

One of the drivers whose truck was hit said he was thrown from his vehicle by the impact, while the Greyhound bus was almost completely destroyed in the Illinois incident 

They said initial investigations indicate the bus had been traveling west when it struck the three vehicles, which were parked on an exit ramp.  

'No one in the commercial motor vehicles were injured,' police said in a statement. 

'All westbound lanes and the ramp to the rest area are open. This is an open and ongoing investigation. No further information is available at this time.'

One of the drivers in the semi-trucks told News 4 he was asleep at the time of the crash, which jolted him out of his vehicle.  

He woke up 'in the air' and thought he was dreaming, but after becoming aware of the horrific reality surrounding him he helped get passengers out of the bus before first responders arrived at the scene. 

Passenger Edward Alexander of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he helped a pregnant woman get off the bus. 

He also started searching for his phone on the bus when he realized it was emitting smoke. 

'I was like, 'forget that phone,' and went on and jumped out the window,' Alexander said. 

It is not yet known what caused the fatal collision. 

The crash happened close to where the road crosses Highland Silver Lake, just east of St Louis, which sits on the border between Illinois and Missouri. 

Greyhound confirmed the bus was number 1675, according to News 4. 

The company said it had been close to completing a four-hour journey to St Louis from Indianapolis, Indiana, when it veered off course. 

'Multiple passengers, including our driver, have been transported to the hospital,' they said in a statement. 

'Our primary concern is ensuring we care for our passengers and driver at this time. 

'We are working closely with local authorities and a relief bus is on the way for passengers.'

Another bus was sent to transport passengers who survived the crash, the company said.  

Photographs from the scene show the banjaxed bus with its roof almost completely caved in, while much of the right side is hollowed out

No one in the trucks was injured, despite colossal damage to the rear of one HGV shown at the scene 

Photographs from the scene show the banjaxed bus with its roof almost completely caved in, while much of the right side is hollowed out. 

The front of the bus appeared to be compressed into the back of a wagon, and a pile of debris is visible to the right. 

A tractor-trailer with its rear obliterated was also pictured at the scene as officials surveyed the damage before it was towed away from the scene. 

It is illegal in Illinois for trucks to park on exit ramps - but trucking industry experts say semis often stop there for the night because overnight parking is hard to find.

'That's not only dangerous for them but it's dangerous for the motoring public because they do need their rest and they deserve their rest,' Lewis Pugh of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said at a government meeting earlier this year.