MEBANE, NC- A series of chain-reaction accidents involving a Greyhound bus, a North Carolina Highway Patrol SUV, a fire department SUV, and multiple other vehicles left one dead and others hurt Wednesday morning.
The crashes began just after 10 a.m. along northbound Interstate 40/85 near the outlet mall close to Mebane.
Witnesses told ABC11 that the Mebane Fire Department was on the scene of the first wreck when a vehicle hydroplaned into the back of the fire chief's Chevy Tahoe.Then, as a NC Highway Patrol trooper sat in his SUV blocking traffic for the crashes, he was hit from behind by the Greyhound bus.The fire chief and the trooper were taken to the hospital, but are expected to recover.
The fatality apparently occurred in the first wreck, and no firefighters or law enforcement officers were killed.EMS workers on the scene unloaded several injured people from the bus.They were taken to Duke University Hospital.
There was no immediate word on patient conditions.The string of crashes caused lengthy backups for drivers.
There were 40 people on the bus, no of them were injured, officers said. Greyhound had to dispatch another bus the scene for passengers to load onto and continue to their destination.
