19 people injured in Ind. bus crash

LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Nineteen people suffered minor injuries when a Greyhound bus from Chicago spun out of control on snowy Interstate 65 near Lafayette early Wednesday, police said.

None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, said Sgt. Kim Riley of the Indiana State Police.

Eleven people were taken to Home Hospital, said hospital spokesman Rob Ford.

Eight people also were taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital. Nursing Supervisor Karen Dickey said the most serious complaints appeared to be back pain and injuries to arms and legs.

The first significant snow of the season was falling across northern and central Indiana Wednesday morning, meaning slick roads and tricky commutes. Dozens of schools were delayed or closed.

The bus from Chicago was carrying 43 passengers when the driver lost control in southbound lanes about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis about 3:15 a.m.

"He lost control of the bus, started to go into the median, overcorrected, did about two to three spins, hit the guardrail on the right, then went up into the ditch on the right, and then brought her back on the roadway and came to rest in the emergency lane," Riley said.

The driver was not injured, Riley said.

The uninjured passengers were taken to Faith Baptist Church in Lafayette.

Regina Lewis of the American Red Cross said they served about 25 uninjured passengers at the church until Greyhound picked them up the to take them to their destinations, she said.

"People were shaken up, but not too bad," she said.

She said some bus passengers at the church also complained of injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Most of the passengers were adults, Lewis said.

"There were a few little kids and we offered them teddy bears to keep them occupied," she told WISH-TV.

Later, a second Greyhound bus collided with a pickup truck and left I-65 about 25 miles north of Indianapolis, state police said. No injuries were reported.

Marion County motorists were involved in more than 90 collisions between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., said Lt. Jeff Duhamell of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Six of the crashes involved injuries.

"Being the first snow of the year, people are just not used to driving in these conditions," he said.

In Allen County, where Fort Wayne is, more than 30 accidents were reported before 6 a.m. None resulted in serious injuries.

In Johnson County south of Indianapolis, several slideoffs were reported, but most of the county got a light dusting of snow, said county highway director Gary Vandegriff.

"I think we're doing OK," he said. "We are definitely on the edge of the event."

South Bend residents prepared for snow by stocking up on shovels and salt, said Jim Berger, manager of Hill's True Value Hardware.

"Everyone seems to be preparing for the first blast of the season," he said.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.