Troopers rescue bus passengers stranded in sub-zero cold

Posted on January 30, 2019
Illinois State Police car
Illinois State Police came to the aid of 21 people stranded after the charter bus they were in broke down in the bitter cold south of Springfield. (File photo from Facebook)

 

By Howard Packowitz

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Police troopers said they rescued 21 passengers of a stranded charter bus south of Springfield in sub-zero temperatures.

The bus broke down in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 before dawn on Wednesday.

Police said the passengers, two of them children, had been without heat for some time.

Passengers warmed up in State Police vehicles. They were taken to an Auburn restaurant where they ate and received shelter until another bus picked them up.

In a news release, State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly said, “The men and women of ISP are working diligently to ensure motorists are safe from these extremely cold temperatures. Without them, there could have been a completely different outcome for the folks on this bus.”

Like dozens of semis stranded on the roadway, State Police said it appeared the charter bus broke down because its diesel fuel gelled in the fuel system.

Police advised motorists to treat their diesel fuel for extremely cold temperatures.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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