Feds say semis parked on rest area ramp will be considered in I-70 crash investigation

A federal transportation board official said investigators will review whether tractor-trailers parked along a rest area exit ramp on Interstate 70 near Highland contributed to the cause of a collision between a Greyhound bus and three trucks that left three people dead Wednesday.

The fatal crash occurred in Madison County on westbound I-70 at about 2 a.m. Wednesday at the entrance ramp to the Silver Lake Rest Area, where the trucks were parked.

At least 14 people were injured in the crash, Illinois State Police said. Those who died were on the bus, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The names of the deceased victims have not been released.

Here are the issues addressed by the National Transportation Safety Board during a news briefing Wednesday afternoon:

What caused the bus to crash and was the bus trying to enter the rest area?

Tom Chapman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was “too early” in the investigation to say what caused the crash, but officials may have more information to release on Thursday.

“We are very, very early in the investigation,” Chapman said in a briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have very little in the way of information or details so it’s really too early for us to know precisely what occurred or why it occurred at the location,” said Chapman, who expects to visit the site Thursday.

Chapman said federal investigators expect to be at the site for a week.

“Our investigation is a safety investigation intended to determine the probable cause of the accident, any contributing factors and determine whether a recommendation should be made to help ensure that similar tragedies do not occur in the future,” Chapman said.

Were the trucks parked along the rest area exit ramp a factor in the crash?

“Rest area safety is one of the issues that will be a part of this investigation,” Chapman said.

He noted that it was too early to say whether the trucks contributed to the crash.

Why were the trucks parked on the rest area exit ramp?

Chapman said it was too early to answer this question.

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 5:35 PM.