LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – A preliminary report on the cause of the Greyhound bus crash that happened on northbound I-75 on Sept. 14 indicates the driver experienced a medical event.
Sgt. Ed Mejia with the Ohio State Highway Patrol -- who is leading the investigation -- said driver Dwayne Garrett most likely passed out while driving the bus early that morning before the motor coach went off the highway and rolled over into a nearby field.
Garrett told investigators he was drinking coffee when he began coughing violently and lost consciousness while driving from Cincinnati to Detroit. He said he awoke hanging upside down in the crash that sent 34 people to area hospitals.
No one died in the incident.
A security video from the bus, though too dark to provide a visual record of the incident, did give an audio recording of Garrett coughing before the crash.
Results of a blood test on Garrett were still pending.
A subpoena was also issued for Garrett's medical records as part of the investigation. There was no indication of a prior medical condition that would have contributed to the crash, Mejia said.
An inspection 14 days earlier confirmed the bus was in safe working condition.
Mejia said charges surrounding the crash could be filed sometime this week.
A spokesperson for Greyhound said they were withholding comment on the incident until after the investigation was complete.
