Tuesday, June 2, 2009 10:11 PM CDT
Police: Driver avoided overpass on morning of bus accident
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — The driver of the double-decker bus involved in the weekend deaths of two men told police he “managed to avoid the overpasses that morning,” but a food stop request sent the bus to Illinois Route 16 in the evening.
That was part of the account of bus driver John F. Protz of Lerna, according to the Mattoon Police Department accident report on the Saturday incident.
Moments after leaving the Charleston Avenue McDonald’s restaurant, the bus drove under the Interstate 57 overpass bridge and two passengers were killed. Justin Sleezer of Yorkville and Cameron Chana of Clarendon HIlls, both 22, suffered massive head injuries at 7:24 p.m. Saturday as they were reportedly standing in the upper deck of the bus, operated by Lincoln Springs Resort and Tours of Charleston.
They both died the next morning at Carle Foundation Hospital of Urbana after an overnight transfer from Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.
“The route they took back to Charleston was different than the one they took in the morning, but we’re not sure if there was one route set for it,” said Mattoon Deputy Police Chief Adam Weinstock, who is investigating the double fatality.
A spokeswoman for Lincoln Springs said the bus has traveled under the I-57/Route 16 overpass before without incident, but she declined to answer additional questions on the incident.
Lincoln Springs manager David Kirsch was not available for comment.
The bus has a height of more than 13 feet. The clearance of the overpass at Route 16 is 13 feet, 11 inches, according to signs posted on the bridges.
A spokesman with IDOT said any road overpasses with clearance of less than 16 feet are required to post clearance measurement signs.
“We have different accounts on the behavior of the passengers. One thing that seems a consistent theme is the passengers were standing up at different times during the trip and before the accident,” said Weinstock.
The bus, which the police report said is insured by Graywood Foundation of Charleston, was rented to an individual for taking a group of young people, including Eastern Illinois University students, on a day-long trip to Lake Shelbyville, the Lincoln Springs spokeswoman confirmed.
The deaths occurred as the bus was eastbound toward Charleston on the return trip, and the victims were facing away from the overpass as the bus traveled at 45 mph along Route 16, based on information in the accident report released Tuesday by police.
“There’s no indication there was much time to react as the bus approached. It seems to have taken everyone by surprise,” Weinstock said.
Protz said he heard people screaming and asking him to drive to the hospital seconds after he passed under the overpass bridge. “They had a guy bleeding,” Protz stated in the report.
He then slowed down as one passenger asked him to pull over so he could call his father, who is a doctor. Before he could stop, Protz then accelerated again as another passenger urged him to drive directly to the emergency room at SBLHC due to the condition of both victims in the upper deck, according to the police report.
When the bus arrived outside the emergency room, hospital staff responded and they were joined by ambulance personnel and firefighters from the Mattoon fire station at Coles County Memorial Airport.
Weinstock said his department was contacted about 30 minutes after the incident occurred. He said that has complicated the post-accident investigation. His department lists the potential passenger list at more than 20 for now, but that could change.
That number is different than the one quoted by other sources.
“When the bus made it to the hospital, people went their own way to call parents and check on friends. That is not surprising, but it is making it hard to complete some interviews,” Weinstock said.
Alcohol was consumed during the day by some passengers on the bus, but Weinstock said it is not certain if that was a factor in causing the fatalities.
“Alcohol use as a factor in this is just speculation at this time,” Weinstock said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com ore 238-6869.
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misfit2 wrote on Jun 3, 2009 7:14 AM: