NT

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Answers

Greyhound has grounded all buses nationwide, now says four dead.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Greyhound Halts Service After Crash 10/03/2001 8:01 AM EDT

A Greyhound bus crashed Wednesday morning in central Tennessee, killing four people and prompting Greyhound to halt all service nationwide as a precaution, a company spokeswoman said.

The bus crashed after a passenger slit the driver's throat, another passenger told a local television station. Authorities could not immediately be reached for confirmation.

The bus was en route from Nashville to Atlanta when it crashed, Greyhound spokeswoman Kristin Parsley said. WTVF-TV of Nashville reported that the crash came near Manchester, 50 miles southeast of Nashville on Interstate 24.

Speaking by cellular phone from the crash site, passenger Carly Rinearson told WTVF that a man who looked to be 30 to 35 years old kept approaching her front seat in the bus and asking what time it was. The man then asked if he could have her seat, Rinearson said. She refused.

Afterward, "he just went up to the bus driver and, like, slit his throat and the driver turned the wheel and the bus tipped over," Rinearson said.

Parsley, the Greyhound spokeswoman, said the company stopped all service as a precautionary measure after the crash. About 1,900 of the company's 2,300 buses had been on the road this morning, she said.

She said she could not confirm anything about the reported slashing.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Word on the news is this might have been an attempted hijacking.

Look to me more like one lone idiot.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Yep, reports say, "random act of violence."

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Herald Link

Greyhound set to resume service after 6 killed in crash

By RUSS OATES Associated Press

MANCHESTER, Tenn. (11:26 a.m. EDT) -- A Greyhound bus crashed Wednesday after a passenger attacked the driver, a witness said. Six of the 40 people aboard were killed, and Greyhound temporarily halted service nationwide as a precaution.

The bus crashed after a passenger slit the driver's throat, a woman on board told a Nashville television station. Authorities said they could not confirm that, but a hospital official said the driver was treated for a laceration of the neck and was stable after surgery.

"We're interviewing passengers and are not saying anything more until we're sure what happened," said Dana Keeton, Tennessee Department of Safety spokeswoman. FBI agents were among the investigators at the crash site.

U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Susan Dryden said it was too early to tell if the accident was terrorist-related, but the agency didn't believe so.

She said the man had a Croatian passport. It could not immediately be determined whether he survived.

Six were confirmed dead at the scene, and the 34 other people on board, including the driver, were injured, Keeton said. She said the injured were taken to at least six hospitals. The extent of the injuries was not immediately determined.

The driver, whose name was not released, was in stable condition after surgery and treatment for a neck laceration, said Bobby Couch, chief executive for Manchester Medical Center. He said he couldn't comment on what caused the neck wound.

"How deep or how bad I don't know," he said.

The bus, No. 1115, left Louisville, Ky. for Atlanta before crashing at 4:15 a.m. CDT, Greyhound spokeswoman Karen Chapman said. The crash happened near Manchester, 50 miles southeast of Nashville on Interstate 24.

Greyhound spokesman Mike Lake said the bus originated in Chicago with a final destination of Orlando, Fla. Terrence Harvey, the Louisville terminal supervisor, said he did not know where the assailant boarded the bus.

Speaking by cellular phone from the crash site, passenger Carly Rinearson told Nashville TV station WTVF that a man who appeared to be 30 to 35 years old kept approaching her front seat and asking what time it was. She said the man then asked if he could have her seat, and she refused.

Afterward, "he just went up to the bus driver and, like, slit his throat, and the driver turned the wheel and the bus tipped over," Rinearson said.

The bus left the eastbound lanes, crossed the median and the westbound lanes and turned over onto its left side. Authorities shut down the interstate and blocked off the scene with yellow police tape.

Dallas-based Greyhound stopped all service as a precaution after the crash, spokeswoman Kristin Parsley said. About 1,900 of its 2,300 buses had been on the road when the crash occurred, she said.

She said buses already en route were allowed to continue to their destinations.

Chapman said the company halted all its service "to see if the incident would impact the safety of passengers elsewhere." She would not confirm an on-board attack or say why the crash might affect other buses. She did say, however, that nationwide service would not normally be halted after one accident.

Service was scheduled to resume at noon CDT, according to the Greyhound Web site.

Passengers across the country were inconvenienced by the loss of service, and many said they felt jittery after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"People are a little panicky about it," Joi Smith, a Greyhound agent, said. "They are freaked out, which is understandable."

Greyhound had begun boosting security in many terminals around the nation, said Tim Barham, district manager of driver operations in Washington, D.C.

"Ever since the September 11 events we've had several discussions and started to implement extra security," he said.

------

Greyhound has set up a toll-free phone number for relatives seeking information about passengers 800-884-2744.

------

On the Net: http://www.greyhound.com/

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Think this was a Darwin wannabee? Slitting the throat of the driver of a large vehicle barreling down an interstate? Was he really expecting to take control of the bus at that point?

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Just heard that Greyhound service was supposed to have resumed as of 1 pm EDT.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

Greyhound restores bus service after deadly crash

At least six killed in Tennessee crash early today

By Russ Oates, The Associated Press, Posted October 3 2001, 1:57 PM EDT

Sun Sentinel Link

MANCHESTER, Tenn. -- A passenger on a Greyhound bus cut the driver's throat Wednesday, causing a crash that killed at least six of the 40 people aboard and prompted Greyhound to temporarily halt service nationwide. The driver told authorities the attacker used a box cutter.

The driver was treated for a cut to his neck and was stable after surgery, a hospital official said. The attacker, who had a Croatian passport, was killed, the FBI said.

"He just went up to the bus driver and, like, slit his throat, and the driver turned the wheel and the bus tipped over," passenger Carly Rinearson told Nashville TV station WTVF by cell phone from the crash site.

The crash happened on Interstate 24 near Manchester, 50 miles southeast of Nashville. The bus originated in Chicago with a final destination of Orlando, Fla., Greyhound spokesman Mike Lake said.

There were conflicting reports about how many people had died. In a statement, Lynn Brown, Greyhound's vice president for corporate communications, said police had confirmed 10 fatalities.

But Dana Keeton, a Tennessee Department of Safety spokeswoman, said six were confirmed dead at the scene, and the 34 other people on board were injured. She said the injured were taken to at least six hospitals. Hospital officials described the injuries as ranging from bumps and bruises to some that required emergency surgery.

After the 5:15 a.m. EDT crash, Greyhound pulled 1,900 buses off the nation's highways, but after consulting with federal and state investigators and transportation officials, the company decided it was safe to resume service as of 1 p.m. EDT.

"The officials have assured me that they believe this tragic accident was the result of an isolated act by a single deranged individual," Greyhound president and CEO Craig Lentzsch told reporters in Washington, D.C.

Earlier, U.S. Justice Department officials said they did not believe the attack was terrorist-related, but that the investigation was continuing.

Coffee County Medical Examiner Dr. Al Brandon said the driver told him the attacker had boarded the bus in Kentucky. He said the man, who had been polite and spoke with a foreign accent, got up several times to ask him where the bus was headed, Brandon said.

The driver, whose name was not immediately released, told Brandon the passenger then "accosted" him with a box cutter.

However, Brandon said he couldn't confirm the weapon was a box cutter, saying it was a "sharp instrument similar to a razor blade." The terrorists who hijacked four airliners on Sept. 11 reportedly used box cutters in their suicide attacks.

After attacking the driver, the passenger grabbed the steering wheel, forcing the bus into the oncoming lanes of the interstate before it crossed the road and tipped over onto its right side, the medical examiner said.

The driver was able to crawl from the wreckage through a window and tried to flag down passing vehicles. He told Brandon the attacker was thrown through the windshield.

The bus, No. 1115, left Louisville, Ky., and was due to stop next in Atlanta, Greyhound spokeswoman Karen Chapman said.

Rinearson told WTVF the attacker, who appeared to be 30 to 35 years old, kept approaching her front seat and asking what time it was. She said the man then asked if he could have her seat, and she refused.

He then attacked the driver, she said.

Dallas-based Greyhound stopped all service as a precaution after the crash, spokeswoman Kristin Parsley said. About 1,900 of its 2,300 buses had been on the road when the crash occurred, she said.

She said buses already en route were allowed to continue to their destinations.

Lentzsch said Greyhound was offering full refunds to passengers who decided against taking trips. He also said Amtrak agreed to accept Greyhound bus tickets.

He added that security was being bolstered.

"Prior to reboarding passengers today, we are hand searching carry on luggage," Lentzsch said. He also said some passengers have been checked with a wand used to detect metal devices.

Passengers across the country, already jittery after last month's terror attacks, had to wait hours or find other means of transportation.

"People are a little panicky about it," said Joi Smith, a Greyhound agent in New Hampshire. "They are freaked out, which is understandable."

Greyhound had begun boosting security in many terminals around the nation, said Tim Barham, district manager of driver operations in Washington, D.C.

"Ever since the September 11 events we've had several discussions and started to implement extra security," he said.

Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001

How bizarre. For instance... "The driver was able to crawl from the wreckage through a window and tried to flag down passing vehicles." Like noone else would figure out that the bus, now lying on its side, was in trouble???

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2001