Β CHARLOTTE, NC – Β Several inmates were taken to the hospital after an inmate transport bus and a car collided on I-77 southbound at the Lasalle Street entrance ramp. The accident happened just before 8 a.m.Tuesday and closed lanes of the interstate for more than an hour.
A Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said that he could not specify the number of inmates hurt or which hospital they were taken to, but that the inmates were being treated for non life-threatening injuries, and would be released to the custody of the Sheriff’s Office later in the day.
Deputies armed with shotguns could be seen guarding the inmates while the bus was stopped and inmates were being loaded into ambulances.
The NC Highway Patrol is still investigating, but early reports indicate the driver of the transport van was not at fault, according to the sheriff’s office spokesman.
Traffic was backed up for miles during the morning rush hour.
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