AL Bus Wreck Injures 3 Marines

Alabama Crash Three Marines remain in critical condition after a charter bus accident in southeast Alabama.

by The Associated Press via Salon.com

Published: Mon, March 10, 2008 - 10:01 am CST Last Updated: Mon, March 10, 2008 - 10:10 am CST

A charter bus carrying members of a Marine Reserve anti-terrorism group overturned at an Army base, injuring 23 people. Three Marines were in critical condition Monday.

The military said the cause of the Sunday morning crash was under investigation.

It overturned at Fort Rucker, an Army aviation training center in southeast Alabama. The Marines were leaving the training area after a weekend exercise, Fort Rucker said in a statement.

The bus landed on its right side with military gear and debris littering the ground.

The four most seriously injured Marines were airlifted by an Army medical helicopter. The Army said they were initially listed in critical condition, but one Marine was doing better Monday.

A state trooper told The Dothan Eagle that excessive speed was a factor.

"It went into a curve a little fast, the driver lost control and it flipped a couple of times," state trooper Sgt. Scott Brasher told the paper.

A message left at the troopers' state headquarters by The Associated Press was not immediately returned.

On board were members of E Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division with reservists based in Tallahassee, Fla., and the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer.

The military said all the injured were from the First and Headquarters platoons based in Bessemer.

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