Fox 59 Indianapolis 10-23-2014

Megabus passengers to speak about lawsuit, new alleged mechanical failures

October 23, 2014
By Greg Margason

Passengers injured in October’s Megabus crash on I-65 in Greenwood will discuss their case Friday during a news conference in Chicago.

Dozens of passengers were hurt after the Megabus bound for Chicago crashed. Four passengers filed a lawsuit against the bus company and its subsidiaries. That lawsuit has now been amended with new allegations.

The amended lawsuit adds more passengers to the case, and alleges that the defendants were negligent in maintaining and operating the passenger bus, which crashed when the driver lost control in the early morning hours of October 14.

According to the lawsuit, the bus rolled and landed on its side, causing the passengers to suffer personal injuries, financial damages, and incur subsequent medical expenses. Some of their injuries include a broken collar bone, missing teeth, and numerous cuts and bruises.

During Friday’s news conference, the passengers will describe the bus driver’s public announcements to the passengers regarding the bus’s mechanical failures, and they will also describe the unusual noises that are attributed to these mechanical failures.

Previously, according to complaints filed, the passengers said the Megabus driver announced the bus had faulty windshield wipers and was driving too fast for the rainy conditions.

The passengers say they will also show email communications that the defendants sent mid-trip to the passengers on the bus, wherein Megabus allegedly acknowledged the bus’s ongoing mechanical failures.

According to Thomas A. Zimmerman, Jr., counsel for the Plaintiffs, “In light of the bus driver’s announcement and the Megabus email acknowledging a mechanical failure with the bus, we obtained an emergency order from the court to preserve the bus and its components so that we can have it examined by an expert.”