8 injured in tour bus crash on I-95 in St. Johns County

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Eight people were taken to the hospital after a Mega Bus tour bus crashed in St. Johns County Tuesday morning.

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said the crash was reported in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 at mile marker 301.

The Florida Highway Patrol said 29 people were on the bus and eight were taken to Flagler Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Troopers said the crash was caused by a blown tire and tire malfunction.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the school district and the sheriff's office worked together to care for the displaced passengers.

“My first impression was, ‘My God, hopefully no one got hurt,’” said driver Jeffery Heinel.

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Heinel said he was driving from Orlando back up to Savannah when he saw the Megabus crash on the side on I-95.

“You're processing all of this as you're going 65 miles an hour. Again, you got to really pay attention,” said Heinler.

Action News Jax looked on the U.S.Department of Transportation’s website and looked up the history of this bus. In the last two years, it said the bus did have to be towed once.

There were four other buses with the same name listed on the site that operate in different states.

A few had a history of being towed, one from New Jersey had three crashes with injuries, and one out of Texas had two crashes with injuries.

Heinel said even in Tuesday’s crash, which only involved the bus, motorists have to be on the lookout for any debris that could be on the highway that could put them in danger.

“Rubber flies up and you’re having to dodge that along with other motorists,” said Heinel.

“Megabus.com can confirm that one of our vehicles travelling from Orlando, Fla. heading towards Atlanta, Ga. was involved in an incident today near Jacksonville, Fla. (Tuesday, December 15, 2015)," said Sean Hughes, director of corporate affairs, Megabus.com North America. "Safety is our top priority, and Megabus.com is fully cooperating with the authorities with their investigation into the incident."

WJAX