UPDATED Wednesday, July 8, 2009 --- 9:47 p.m.

The Wisconsin State Patrol tells NBC15 the driver of the bus will be cited for inattentive driving.
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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 -- 8:30 pm
By Zac Schultz

Madison: The crash happened at 3:30 Friday afternoon, backing up traffic for miles.

The fully loaded Greyhound bus was traveling eastbound on the interstate and went into the ditch just before the East Washington /Highway 151 exit.

Darryl Danie says the bus started veering off the road, and the driver wasn't doing anything. "I stood up and started hollering, to make sure he was woke. He looked non-responsive to me and just kept going. We came off the road, was going down the this field and you could see the trees coming and coming and coming. Then we went down in the ditch and ran into the trees. You could still hear the tires burning like his foot was still on the gas. Everybody was screaming, little children being hysterical."

Danie says passengers started scrambling up the embankment away from the bus. "Screaming, panicking, not knowing what to do, tripping over stuff, trying to get away the bus."

The Madison Fire Department says 17 passengers were transported to local hospitals most with minor injuries.

Four came to St. Mary's Emergency Center in Sun Prairie. "One was in serious condition, bad concussion basically, confusion," says Dr. Anthony Callisto, the Medical Director in Sun Prairie. "The others were just bumps and bruises, whiplash, that kind of thing."

The Greyhound was able to drive out of the ditch on its own power.

Darryl says the bus didn't flip because the driver didn't touch the steering wheel. "In a way I guess I'm glad he stayed the way he was because the bus just kept going straight. If he oversteered he would have flipped the bus, most definitely, because it teetered three or four times before it went down the embankment and hit the tree."

The State Patrol says the crash is still under investigation and at this time the driver has not been issued a citation.

As for Darryl, he was on his way to Mississippi for a family reunion and he says even though he doesn't want to, he'll probably have to get back on a bus this weekend.

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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 7:45 p.m.

From the City of Madison Fire Department:

Ambulances from several surrounding communities assisted the City of Madison Fire Department with treating and transporting seventeen patients from this afternoon's bus crash on Interstate 39-90-94. All of the injuries were non-life threatening.

Units were called to the crash at 3:31 p.m. and remained on scene until all passengers were transported off the highway. All fire and EMS units had left the scene by 4:50 p.m.

Approximately 80-people were on the bus when it left the roadway and came to rest in a nearby field. Each passenger had to be evacuated for injuries, treated if needed, and transported from the scene. Injured passengers were taken to three area hospitals for a variety of minor injuries and medical needs.

Paramedics evaluated the passengers and those needing immediate care were transported to a hospital first. The less serious patients were transported next until all patients were cared for. This process, known as triage, is utilized at emergency scenes were there is more than one patient.

Six advanced life support and six basic life support ambulances were utilized at the scene. The Madison Fire Department and Wisconsin State Patrol coordinated the emergency units on the scene and provided for the safety of all personnel on the scene.

The uninjured passengers waited along the highway and dealt with the heat and mosquitoes until transportation arrived. Two Madison Metro buses transported them from the crash scene to the bus station in Madison.

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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 5:25 p.m.

Reporter Zac Schultz says the bus has left the scene. Major backups still reported in the area.

We also received an update from Meriter Hospital. The hospital received 8 patients. All will be treated and released.

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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 5:15 p.m.

Coverage from the Associated Press:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Wisconsin State Patrol says a Greyhound bus with 80 passengers left Interstate 39-90-94 northeast of Madison and plowed through a fence Friday afternoon.

According to the State Patrol, only minor injuries were reported.

Another bus was sent to the scene to pick up passengers.

The incident snarled eastbound traffic on the Interstate.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 5:00 p.m.

From St. Mary's Hospital:
4 patients are at St. Mary's - Sun Prairie facility
2 patients are at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.

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UPDATED Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 4:25 p.m.

We just checked. Meriter Hospital is anticipating a minimum of 6 patients.

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Posted Friday, July 3, 2009 --- 4:05 p.m.

***MEDIA ALERT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION***

Incident Type: Crash
County: Dane
Highway: EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 39/90/94
Location: Mile post 134.5 and US HWY 151
Nearest City: Madison
Traffic Status: Significantly delayed
Lanes Affected: Right lane
Expected Duration: Up to 2 hours
Date: Friday July 3, 2009
Time: 3:31:00 PM

No Detour Route Advised

Additional Info: GREYHOUND BUS RAN OFF ROADWAY INTO TREES NEAR INTERSTATE. BUS WAS FULLY LOADED. NO REPORTED INJURIES. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL ARE ON SCENE INVESTIGATING CAUSE. RIGHT TRAFFIC LANE IS CLOSED. MORE INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.