Bluffton College Baseball Team's Bus Crashes in Atlanta

[Red Leader]

Just saw this on CNN. A charter bus taking the Bluffton University (just south of Toledo) baseball team crashed this morning in Atlanta. Six are already reported dead and there are others in serious condition. My prayers go out to the family and friends of those that have died, and also with the surviving players, family, and friends of those players. What a tragic accident.

Here's the story:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/02/bus...ent/index.html

[mound_patrol]

please keeps these guys in your prayers. I have two good friends on that team. They are both reportedly okay, but keep your thoughts and prayers for these unfortanate players

[redsmetz]

The reports of a bus plummeting from a bridge in Georgia this morning involved the Bluffton College baseball team on their way to a tournament in Florida. Tragically, at least six have been killed, many more injured.

Here's the story from the Toledo Blade. I'm sure the family, friends and the college community could use our prayers.

At least 6 people killed in crash of charter bus carrying Bluffton University baseball team

BLADE STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

ATLANTA - At least six people have been killed and 10 seriously injured after a charter bus crashed this morning in Atlanta involving the Bluffton University baseball team, police said.

The bus, owned by Executive Coach, based in Lancaster, Pa., had exited I-75 near downtown Atlanta about 5:45 a.m. today when the driver apparently lost control on the exit ramp overpass. The bus crashed through a railing and landed on its side on I-75 below, police said.

A total of 35 people were believed to be aboard the bus, including 33 baseball players and coaches with the Bluffton University team and two rotating drivers with the bus company, police said. Bluffton University competes in NCAA Division III.

Some of those killed were pronounced dead at the scene, while others died at nearby Piedmont Hospital, where many of the injured were taken, police said.

The team was reportedly en route to spring baseball games in Fort Myers, Fla., when the accident occurred. The accident has created major rush-hour traffic problems this morning for Atlanta police.

A spokeswomen for the Bluffton University athletics department said that the department could not comment at this time.

Bluffton University, a liberal arts school, is located about 60 miles southwest of Toledo. The university is on spring break until March 11. The school has 1,150 students and is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA.

According to the Bluffton University Web page, the baseball team was scheduled to play in the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla.

[Reds Freak]

Just terrible, terrible news. I've been aboard a few charter bus trips down to Florida and to be honest I'm suprised this kind of thing doesn't happen more often. Those things are gigantic and when you only switch drivers one time during a 20 hour bus trip, drivers are forced to drive 10 hours straight often in the middle of the night. That really can't be safe...

[Krash]

My sister is a senior at Bluffton. This is very sad.

[cincy jacket]

I have a friend from high school who played baseball for Bluffton two years ago as a Freshman. After the first year he had health problems and had to give up baseball though. At the time he took it pretty hard that he had to quit playing the game he loved so early into his college career. I guess in the end that injury could have saved his life.

[15fan]

Some local coverage:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/11151088/detail.html

(Edit: They've cleared the bus, so the video in the 2nd link I had is now gone.)

Based on the description, it sounds to me like the driver fell asleep at the wheel. That's the only way that the bus could have carried enough speed to get up the exit ramp, through the 6 lanes of traffic on Northside Drive and break through the barrier to fall back down onto the highway. That part of the highway and the exit ramp at Northside are both straight shots.

The good news for those who survived is that the crash was literally a stone's throw from Piedmont Hospital, which is a first rate operation. Grady Hospital isn't that far away from the site, either. Though Grady often gets a bad rap, it has a top notch trauma program. That's where model Nikki Taylor went after she was in a really bad accident a few years ago.

[remdog]

Damn. I hate to see things like this happen. I've always felt like those bus trips were chancy....

Prayers and condolences....

Rem

[Reds Fanatic]

According to CNN 22 people are injured 3 of them critically. 2 of those with critical injuries are in surgery now and another is in intensive care.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by 15fan

Some local coverage:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/11151088/detail.html

Live video of the clean up.

http://www.11alive.com/video/default...?storyid=93119

Based on the description, it sounds to me like the driver fell asleep at the wheel. That's the only way that the bus could have carried enough speed to get up the exit ramp, through the 6 lanes of traffic on Northside Drive and break through the barrier to fall back down onto the highway. That part of the highway and the exit ramp at Northside are both straight shots.

The good news for those who survived is that the crash was literally a stone's throw from Piedmont Hospital, which is a first rate operation. Grady Hospital isn't that far away from the site, either. Though Grady often gets a bad rap, it has a top notch trauma program. That's where model Nikki Taylor went after she was in a really bad accident a few years ago.

Is that before the Carter Center off ramp area?

[15fan]

Northside Drive is by Howell Mill. Those are the last 2 exits on 75 South before 75 & 85 merge on the north side of downtown. When we first moved here, we had an apartment over in that part of town. I still go over to there to get my hair cut, get my annual physical, and get my allergy shots.

When I first heard about a bus losing control & falling onto the interstate, I assumed it was on the Freedom Parkway exit downtown, which is how you get to the Carter Ctr. I could see an alert bus driver losing control and falling there.

But Northside Drive headed south on 75? If you're passing through town, there's literally no steering required there.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by 15fan

Northside Drive is by Howell Mill. Those are the last 2 exits on 75 South before 75 & 85 merge on the north side of downtown. When we first moved here, we had an apartment over in that part of town. I still go over to there to get my hair cut, get my annual physical, and get my allergy shots.

When I first heard about a bus losing control & falling onto the interstate, I assumed it was on the Freedom Parkway exit downtown. I could see an alert bus driver losing control and falling there.

But Northside Drive headed south on 75? If you're passing through town, there's literally no steering required there.

That's exactly what I thought too... Freedom Center. I always hit the city via 85 so I'm not familiar to the area, but isn't that near where Danny Healy had his accident as well?

[15fan]

Kind of. Healey was zipping down Lenox Road from Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead towards I-85. Lenox Road would have dumped him out near I85 in the Buford Highway / North Druid Hills part of the world. He was about 1/2 way between the mall & I 85 when he crashed. Distance-wise, we're probably talking about 7-8 miles between the two sites.

Lenox Road is a curvy up & down 2 lane road. I can easily see someone going fast & losing control there. But losing control off Northside Drive & falling onto the interstate below? Asleep at the wheel or intentional are literally the only 2 possibilities that I can come up with. You could pick a million other places in town where I can see someone losing control of the wheel & having this kind of wreck. But not Northside & 75.

[corkedbat]

You'd think on a 20-hr. trip they'd drive five and switch. Makes more sense. Driving 10-hrs. in a row when you don't have to is insane. It's not like it takes that much time to switch drivers.

[dabvu2498]

Sounds like the driver may have mistaken the ramp for an HOV lane.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/02/bus...ent/index.html

The bus exited I-75 southbound in an HOV lane in the center of the highway that leads onto a bridge at Northside Drive. The bus apparently did not stop at the top of the exit ramp and plunged off the bridge onto the southbound lanes of the expressway, according to two drivers, whose vehicles were hit by the bus or debris falling off it.