MADISON — I-95 north in Madison was closed for several hours Monday afternoon after a bus rolled over and injured dozens of people. State Police said there were about 55 people on the bus heading to Mohegan Sun Casino. 30 were able to walk off, but the rest were transported to area hospitals. Yale New Haven Hospital officials said 4 people were in critical condition.
According to Mohegan Sun, the bus was a Dahlia Inc. charter operated by VMC East Coast Travel from NYC to Mohegan Sun. All additional buses to Mohegan Sun were rerouted due to the weather.
Dr. Andy Ulrich with Yale New Haven hospital originally said they were preparing for 30-40 patients to be brought in, six of them in critical condition. Now, YNHH officials say they received 8 patients. Middlesex Hospital’s shoreline medical center in Westbrook said they took in 16 people from the accident. Some of those patients were later transferred to YNHH.
State Police said 25 people were injured in the crash, but at this time, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
The accident happened near Exit 61 just before 12:30 p.m. The charter bus rolled on side, shutting down the highway. Multiple ambulances were called to the scene to transport those with injuries to surrounding hospitals. State Police accident reconstruction is assisting with the investigation, with help from Madison, Chester, Old Saybrook, Guilford, Essex, Westbrook, Killingly, Deep River, Old Lyme and Lyme.
Passengers who were able to walk off the bus were taken to Madison Town Campus where the Red Cross was called out to assist them. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
FOX 61's Matt Scott was live on the scene and witnessed people being removed from the bus on stretchers.
Gov. Dannel Malloy released a statement following the accident:
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and receive updates in real-time. Public safety is our top priority and our office continues to work with state agencies and emergency management officials to that end. Our thoughts are with those who are injured, and we extend our gratitude to the first responders who are working to protect the safety of all those involved. We urge all those who must travel to use added caution, allow extra time to travel, and reduce speeds as conditions warrant.”