Greyhound Bus Will Likely Face Lawsuits After Deadly Crash
The NTSB found that driver fatigue, Greyhound’s oversight failures, and illegally parked tractor-trailers contributed to the deadly 2023 crash near Highland, Illinois.
A deadly Greyhound bus crash on Interstate 70 in Madison County, Illinois raised significant questions about the responsibility of the bus operator, the motorcoach driver, and the trucking companies whose tractor-trailers were parked on a rest-area exit ramp. The crash occurred on July 12, 2023, near Highland, Illinois, when a Greyhound motorcoach traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis left the interstate and struck three tractor-trailers parked on the shoulder of the Silver Lake Rest Area exit ramp.
Initial reports stated that three people were killed and 14 were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board later completed its investigation and determined that the motorcoach had 21 occupants. Three passengers were killed, while the motorcoach driver and 11 passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious. The three truck drivers were not injured.
Quick Answer
The NTSB ultimately determined that the probable cause of the crash was the motorcoach driver’s departure from the travel lanes onto the exit-ramp shoulder because of fatigue. The agency also found that Greyhound’s failure to address the driver’s recurring unsafe driving behavior contributed to the crash, while the three tractor-trailers parked on the shoulder in violation of Illinois law also contributed. The NTSB further identified the recurring lack of available truck parking as a contributing safety problem.
What Happened in the Illinois I-70 Crash?
According to the NTSB, the crash occurred at approximately 1:48 a.m. on July 12, 2023. A 2014 Prevost 50-passenger motorcoach operated by Greyhound Lines was traveling westbound on I-70 near Highland in Madison County.
As the bus approached the westbound Silver Lake Rest Area, the motorcoach departed I-70 and entered the exit ramp. Three tractor-trailer combination vehicles were parked on the right shoulder of the ramp. The motorcoach collided with the parked trucks.
Three passengers were fatally injured. The motorcoach driver and 11 passengers suffered injuries. The NTSB later determined that the motorcoach driver’s fatigue was a central factor in why the bus left the travel lanes.
3 Fatalities
Three Greyhound passengers were fatally injured in the collision.
12 Injured
The NTSB reported that the motorcoach driver and 11 passengers sustained injuries.
3 Parked Trucks
The Greyhound motorcoach collided with three tractor-trailers parked on the exit-ramp shoulder.
Highland, Illinois
The crash occurred at the Silver Lake Rest Area exit on westbound I-70 in Madison County.
The NTSB Investigation Changed What We Know About the Crash
When the crash first occurred, investigators had not yet determined why the Greyhound bus left the interstate and struck the parked tractor-trailers. Early reporting identified possible issues such as driver fatigue, lighting, the availability of truck parking, and the location of the parked trucks as matters investigators would examine.
The NTSB completed its investigation in 2025 and reached more specific conclusions. The agency determined that the motorcoach driver’s fatigue caused the bus to depart the travel lanes. The NTSB attributed the driver’s fatigue in part to an irregular work-rest schedule and prolonged time awake.
NTSB Probable Cause
The NTSB found that the probable cause was the motorcoach driver’s departure from the travel lanes onto the shoulder of the exit ramp due to fatigue. The agency also identified Greyhound’s failure to mitigate the driver’s recurring unsafe driving behavior as a contributing factor.
Greyhound’s Role in the Crash
The NTSB’s investigation did not stop with the conduct of the individual bus driver. Investigators examined Greyhound’s supervision and safety practices and concluded that the company had failed to adequately address recurring unsafe driving behavior.
According to the NTSB, the driver had accumulated numerous violations recorded by Greyhound’s driver-monitoring system before the crash, including speeding and following too closely. The agency found deficiencies in Greyhound’s progressive-discipline policies, record keeping, and use of its driver-monitoring system.
The NTSB also found that Greyhound’s variable scheduling practices contributed to the motorcoach driver’s irregular work-rest schedule and fatigue. The agency recommended that Greyhound develop and implement a comprehensive fatigue-management program and revise scheduling practices to reduce irregular work-rest cycles.
Fatigue Management
The NTSB found that Greyhound’s scheduling practices contributed to the driver’s irregular work-rest pattern and fatigue.
Driver Oversight
The NTSB found that Greyhound did not adequately address recurring unsafe driving behavior identified through its monitoring systems.
Safety Policies
Investigators found weaknesses in Greyhound’s record keeping, progressive discipline, and implementation of driver-monitoring information.
The Parked Tractor-Trailers Also Contributed
The NTSB also determined that the three tractor-trailers parked on the shoulder contributed to the crash. The agency noted that parking on the shoulder of the exit ramp was prohibited by Illinois law.
625 ILCS 5/11-1303 generally prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle on a controlled-access highway and in other specified locations, subject to listed exceptions. The NTSB specifically identified the parked commercial vehicles as contributing to the severity and circumstances of the crash.
At the same time, the NTSB did not simply attribute the crash to the truck drivers. The investigation found that the recurring shortage of available truck parking was itself a safety problem. In other words, the agency concluded that both the presence of the parked trucks and the broader shortage of safe parking contributed to the risk.
Two Issues Can Exist at Once
The NTSB’s findings distinguish between the immediate conduct that contributed to the crash and the broader safety conditions surrounding truck parking. The trucks were parked in a prohibited location, while the recurring shortage of safe truck parking was also identified as a contributing safety problem.
Could a Trucking Company Be Liable After a Crash Like This?
Whether a truck driver, trucking company, bus operator, or another party may be legally responsible depends on the evidence and the legal theories available in a particular case.
A truck driver or trucking company may face liability when negligent conduct contributes to an accident. Depending on the circumstances, a claim may also examine whether the company negligently hired, trained, supervised, or retained a driver or failed to follow applicable safety requirements.
In a case involving a parked commercial vehicle, investigators and attorneys may examine where the truck was parked, whether the location was legally permitted, whether the vehicle was visible to approaching traffic, whether warning devices were properly used, and what alternatives were available to the driver.
Could Greyhound Be Responsible for Passenger Injuries?
The NTSB’s findings provide evidence that could be relevant to civil claims involving the motorcoach operator. The agency concluded that Greyhound’s scheduling practices and failure to adequately address the driver’s recurring unsafe driving behavior contributed to the crash.
A civil lawsuit would involve a separate legal process from the NTSB investigation. The NTSB’s findings may be important evidence, but the ultimate liability of any particular defendant would be determined through the applicable civil-law standards and the evidence presented in the case.
Driver Conduct
Evidence concerning fatigue, attention, speed, lane position, and other driving behavior may be relevant.
Company Oversight
Scheduling, training, supervision, disciplinary records, and driver-monitoring systems may be examined.
Truck Placement
The location and visibility of parked tractor-trailers can be relevant to determining whether their placement contributed to the collision.
Passenger Safety
Seat-belt use and other occupant-protection issues may affect the severity of injuries in a motorcoach collision.
The NTSB Also Identified Seat Belt Use as an Injury-Severity Factor
The NTSB determined that the lack of seat-belt use by some motorcoach passengers contributed to the severity of injuries for some occupants. This finding concerns injury severity and does not eliminate the need to separately analyze the conduct that caused the crash.
In a civil personal injury case, evidence concerning how an injury occurred, the severity of the injury, available medical treatment, and other circumstances can become relevant to the damages being claimed.
Potential Damages After a Serious Bus or Truck Crash
People injured in a commercial vehicle crash may have claims for damages depending on the facts of the case and the applicable law. Families who lose a loved one may also have claims under Illinois law.
Medical Expenses
A serious crash may result in emergency treatment, hospitalization, rehabilitation, medication, and future medical care.
Lost Wages
Injuries may prevent a person from working temporarily or permanently and may affect future earning capacity.
Pain and Suffering
Qualifying injury claims may include compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and other noneconomic losses.
Wrongful Death
When a person dies because of another party’s wrongful conduct, surviving family members may have claims under Illinois wrongful-death law.
Evidence in an Illinois Commercial Vehicle Accident
Serious bus and truck crashes can involve evidence from multiple sources. The NTSB investigation itself examined driver-monitoring information, work and rest schedules, vehicle data, crash evidence, and other records.
Electronic Data
Driver-monitoring systems, electronic logs, vehicle data, and onboard cameras may help establish what happened before a commercial vehicle collision.
Driver Records
Training records, disciplinary history, scheduling information, and safety records may be relevant when company oversight is at issue.
Scene Evidence
Photographs, measurements, roadway conditions, vehicle positions, lighting, signage, and witness accounts can help reconstruct a crash.
Medical Records
Treatment records and medical opinions can be important in establishing the nature, extent, and long-term consequences of injuries.
Truck Parking Shortages and Highway Safety
The crash also highlighted a broader issue involving the availability of safe parking for commercial truck drivers. The NTSB found that a recurring lack of available truck parking contributed to the presence of the three tractor-trailers on the exit-ramp shoulder.
The agency recommended additional efforts to increase commercial-vehicle parking capacity and improve information about where truck parking is available. The NTSB also recommended expanding use of the Truck Parking Information Management System and pursuing additional capacity along the nation’s highway system.
A Broader Safety Issue
The NTSB’s findings did not treat the parking shortage as an excuse for prohibited parking. Instead, the agency identified the recurring shortage of safe truck parking as a separate transportation-safety problem that increased the likelihood of commercial vehicles being parked in hazardous locations.
What the NTSB Findings Mean for an Illinois Truck Accident Claim
The completed NTSB investigation provides a much clearer picture than was available when the crash was first reported. The investigation identified multiple contributing factors rather than attributing the collision to a single issue.
For a civil claim, the evidence may be relevant when examining the conduct of the motorcoach driver, Greyhound, the companies operating the parked tractor-trailers, and any other party whose conduct may have contributed to the crash or the resulting injuries. The legal responsibility of each party would need to be evaluated separately.
A plaintiff does not necessarily need to prove that only one party caused a crash. Illinois negligence law can involve multiple potentially responsible parties and questions concerning comparative fault, causation, and the damages attributable to each defendant.
Talk to a Decatur, IL Truck Accident Attorney Today
A commercial vehicle crash can involve multiple drivers, trucking companies, motor carriers, and other businesses. Determining who may be legally responsible can require an investigation into driver records, company policies, vehicle data, roadway conditions, and other evidence.
The Decatur truck accident lawyers at Patel Law, PC represent people who have been injured in crashes involving commercial trucks, buses, and other large vehicles. Patel Law, PC can investigate the circumstances of a crash and pursue compensation for qualifying medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Contact Patel Law, PC to schedule a consultation regarding your Illinois truck or bus accident.
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Sources
NTSB — Collision of Motorcoach with Combination Vehicles Parked Along Exit Ramp to I-70 Rest Area
NTSB — Fatigue, Oversight Failures and Truck Parking Shortage Cited in Fatal 2023 Collision in Illinois
NTSB Highway Investigation Report H-25-02
625 ILCS 5/11-1303 — Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited in Specified Places
The Guardian — Three dead and 14 injured in Illinois after Greyhound bus crashes into trucks
