ANDERSON, S.C. - A Greyhound bus ran into the back of an 18-wheeler on Friday after traffic slowed unexpectedly, injuring 15 passengers, authorities said. <br>
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None of the injuries were life-threatening, said Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli. <br>
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The bus driver, Edward Brown, of Virginia Beach, Va., was charged with following too closely, Iacobelli said. <br>
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Brown, 57, was trapped when the front of the bus caved in, and he had to be cut out of the vehicle by rescue workers. Brown was airlifted to the Greenville Memorial Hospital with injuries to the chest and abdomen, said Taylor Jones, residency services coordinator for Anderson County. <br>
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There were 38 people on board, traveling from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C., when traffic slowed on I-85 north in Anderson County. The bus then slammed into the back of the truck about 4 p.m., Iacobelli said. <br>
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During the accident a barrier was knocked over and partially blocked one southbound lane, backing up traffic about six miles. The barrier was cleared and both lanes were open about two hours after the accident, Iacobelli said. <br>
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The bus, a MC-12 model, holds 47 people, Greyhound spokeswoman Jamille Bradfield said. <br>
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Two relief buses were sent to the scene to help passengers get to their final destinations, Bradfield said. <br>
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Ike Brissey, Chief of the Hopewell Volunteer Fire Station, suffered heat exhaustion at the scene and was treated and released from the Anderson Area Medical Center. Three other people traveling in cars near the wreck also were treated and released for heat, said Lance Cpl. Dan Marsceau of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. <br>
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The driver of the truck operated by Bearden Trucking of Greenville, Francisco Paredes, 30, of Pendleton, was not injured.
