NATION : 40 Hurt in Ariz. Bus-Truck Collision

BENSON, Ariz. —  A Los Angeles-bound transcontinental bus collided with an equipment-laden flatbed truck on Interstate 10, injuring more than 40 people, at least 10 of them seriously, state police said today.

The injured included a woman five or six months pregnant and her four children, and the bus driver, who lost at least one leg, officials said.

Department of Public Safety dispatcher Jerry Stiles said the Greyhound bus struck the rear of an 18-wheel semi-trailer flatbed that reportedly was carrying heavy iron castings. The accident occurred Sunday night on a steep incline about four miles west of Benson, which is 45 miles southwest of Tucson.

Dr. Michael Gray, chief of staff at Benson Hospital, said officials told him that the first several feet of the front of the bus “just accordioned backwards.”