A bus transferring 24 maximum-security inmates collided with a freeway barricade support truck on Interstate 10 early Wednesday morning. Five correctional officers were also on board.
Two of the correctional officers were injured in the accident because they were in the prisoner enclosure of the bus and not wearing seatbelts. The other officers were wearing their seatbelts and were unharmed.
The driver of the highway barricade truck also was unharmed.
Some of the inmates complained of minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The accident occurred shortly after 5 a.m., in the eastbound lane of Interstate 10 near Avra Valley Road.
Correctional officers from Correctional Corporation of America, a private prison company, were taking the inmates from Eloy to a correctional facility in Mississippi.
I-10 was closed to eastbound travel for approximately 45 minutes. This closure caused an approximate 2-mile back-up.
Traffic is back to normal freeway speeds.
