Notorious Nashville: Greyhound Bus Crash
A Greyhound bus crash on Interstate 24 near Manchester, Tennessee, on Oct. 3, 2001, left seven people dead, including the assailant.
According to authorities, 29-year-old Damir Igric slashed the driver, Garfield Sands, 53, shortly before 4 a.m. The bus was traveling from Chicago to Orlando, Florida, when Igric attacked, prompting Sands to lose control and crash into oncoming traffic.
Sands survived the assault and escaped through a window. He sustained two deep cuts to his neck, reportedly inflicted with a box cutter. Following the incident, six passengers died at the scene, and one more died later, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety. Fourteen others were hospitalized.
Witnesses reported heightened media scrutiny following the crash, coinciding with the recent Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. FBI officials stated that initial concerns suggested a potential terrorist act, but later classified the event as an isolated assault.
Igric was thrown from the bus and died upon impact. The incident prompted a temporary national shutdown of Greyhound services, stranding approximately 70,000 passengers.
Emergency services arrived shortly after, with over 2,000 buses pulled from highways during an extensive seven-hour response.
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This article is part of The Tennessean's Notorious Nashville series, revisiting pivotal local stories of the 21st century.