Indiana State Police (ISP) say that a truck driver is facing a felony charge for allegedly leaving the scene of a major crash that left a bus driver with serious injuries.
The crash was reported to ISP around 11:15 p.m. on September 7 in Jasper County, Indiana.
Troopers say that a semi truck and a school bus collided on northbound I-65 at mile marker 222. The bus rear-ended the semi truck, according to the initial investigation.
Troopers arriving on scene found the bus in a ditch near the interstate with the driver pinned inside.
The semi truck driver initially pulled over following the crash, and Good Samaritans rendered aid to both the bus driver and the truck driver.
However, ISP says that the “semi driver suddenly drove away.”
Troopers tracked the truck down to the rear of a Love’s Truck Stop located on S.R. 10 in Jasper County.
“The trailer of the semi had substantial damage and it was quite apparent that the vehicle had been involved in a significant crash very recently. The driver of the semi was also located and gave statements inconsistent with what had happened on the interstate,” ISP said in a news release.
Police took Georgia-based semi truck driver Aregay Tesfay Gebremariam, 57, into custody on a charge of Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Catastrophic Bodily Injury. The charge is a felony.
It took hours for crews to extricate the bus driver. The bus driver was transported to a Chicago hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
No passengers were inside the bus when the crash occurred.
ISP will conduct inspections on the bus, tractor, and trailer as part of the ongoing investigation.
Alcohol and drugs are not thought to be a factor in the crash.