The investigation into last week’s Greyhound bus crash along I-75 in Kentucky appears to be focused on the driver’s cell phone use, after a photo suggested he was texting just moments before the collision.
17 Hospitalized After I-75 Kentucky Greyhound Bus Crash
The August 15th crash occurred shortly before 5:00 p.m. at exit 71, not long after the Cincinnati-bound bus made a stop in London, Kentucky. According to initial accounts, the Greyhound struck a semi-truck as it veered from the northbound center lane of I-75, causing the rig to flip onto its side. The bus also sustained heavy damage.
Paramedics responding to the scene transferred 17 people to local hospitals. While authorities have not commented on the extent of their injuries, most had been released as of Friday evening.
Greyhound Passengers Claim Driver Was Using Cell Phone
Several passengers reported that the Greyhound driver, 64-year-old Vincent Watts of Atlanta, was using his cell phone in the moments before the crash.
“I’m not 100 percent sure at the time of the crash but a few minutes before I glanced up and saw him on his phone,” one passenger told WKYT. “You’re putting everybody’s lives in danger for a text message or a picture. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“On his phone, holding it, on the steering wheel, between his two hands, holding his steering wheel and his phone at the same time,” another said.
Kentucky State Police Seek Greyhound Driver’s Cell Phone Records
A passenger’s photo also appears to show the driver texting just before his Greyhound bus collided with the semi-truck. Kentucky State Police have since confirmed that they have the photo and are seeking to examine Watts’s cell phone records.
Like all Greyhound bus drivers, Watts holds a CDL and may not use a cell phone behind the wheel without a hands-free device. Greyhound could be fined as much as $11,000 if investigators determine that he was, in fact, texting.
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