Fatal Greyhound bus crash that killed three was entirely preventable, as the chronic shortage of truck parking forces drivers to park illegally on rest area ramps, creating deadly hazards on America’s highways.
Key Takeaways
- A severe shortage of truck parking directly contributed to a deadly 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three passengers and injured 12 others.
- The Greyhound driver, who had a history of unsafe driving including four prior accidents, veered off Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp and struck three semi-trucks parked illegally on the shoulder.
- NTSB investigation revealed poor company oversight by Greyhound Lines and highlighted the critical need for addressing America’s truck parking crisis.
- Enforcement of illegal parking on rest stop ramps remains lax due to insufficient parking for the 13 million trucks operating on U.S. roads.
- Most bus passengers weren’t wearing required seatbelts, which could have minimized injuries in the crash.
Truck Parking Crisis Turns Deadly
A lack of safe overnight truck parking directly contributed to a fatal Greyhound bus crash that claimed three lives in Illinois last year, according to a damning report from federal investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the July 2023 crash near Highland, Illinois, which occurred when a bus struck three semi-trucks illegally parked on a rest area ramp, exposed a dangerous infrastructure failure plaguing America’s highways. The report highlights how government negligence in addressing the critical shortage of truck parking has created dangerous conditions for all travelers, with deadly consequences in this case.
The crash occurred at 1:48 a.m. when the Greyhound bus exited Interstate 70 onto a rest area ramp and slammed into three semitrailers parked on the shoulder. The bus slid along the sides of the trucks, leaving a trail of destruction. Three bus passengers were killed in the impact, while the bus driver and 11 other passengers suffered injuries. The truck drivers, who were inside their vehicles at the time, escaped unharmed. The NTSB’s findings make clear that this tragedy represents just one consequence of a much larger infrastructure failure across the country.
Overnight parking for long-haul truckers at interstate rest stops is critically short and was a key contributor to a 2023 Greyhound bus crash in Illinois that killed three people. https://t.co/t7npcuhnKp
— WAND TV News (@wandtvnews) May 21, 2025
Greyhound’s Negligence Exposed
The investigation revealed alarming failures by Greyhound in driver oversight and safety enforcement. The bus driver involved had a troubling history of dangerous driving behaviors, including four previous accidents and multiple speeding violations. Despite these red flags, Greyhound allowed the driver to continue operating passenger buses, placing profits over public safety. The company’s disregard for passenger safety extended to its failure to enforce seatbelt usage, as the NTSB noted that injuries could have been significantly reduced if more passengers had been wearing the legally required safety belts.
“Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: Until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation’s roads,” said Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chairperson.
When contacted about the findings, Greyhound offered a tepid response. Greyhound Lines has fully cooperated with the NTSB since the beginning of this investigation, a spokesman said, while declining further comment due to ongoing litigation. This non-committal response suggests the company is more concerned with legal liability than addressing the systemic safety failures identified in the investigation. Meanwhile, families of victims continue to pursue justice through the courts as the regulatory agencies fail to impose meaningful penalties on the company.
Infrastructure Failure Endangers American Lives
The truck parking crisis represents a massive failure of government transportation planning and infrastructure investment. While parking on rest stop entrance and exit ramps is technically illegal, enforcement remains virtually non-existent due to the overwhelming shortage of legitimate parking spaces for the nation’s 13 million commercial trucks. Truckers, forced to comply with federal hours-of-service regulations that limit driving time, often have no choice but to park illegally when authorized spaces are unavailable. This creates a dangerous situation where rest areas designed for temporary stops become makeshift truck stops.
The NTSB’s findings should serve as a wake-up call to the Biden administration and transportation officials who have neglected this critical infrastructure need. While billions of taxpayer dollars flow to wasteful projects and foreign aid, America’s essential transportation infrastructure crumbles. The deadly consequences of this neglect were tragically demonstrated in the Highland crash. Until meaningful action is taken to expand truck parking capacity along major freight corridors, similar preventable tragedies will continue to occur, claiming innocent lives and highlighting the government’s failure to protect its own citizens.
