Should Sick Greyhound Passenger 'Hacking Up Blood' Have Been Allowed to Stay on Bus for Two-Day Trip?

Passengers on a two-day trip aboard a Greyhound bus fear they might have been exposed to tuberculosis after a visibly sick passenger was allowed to stay on for the whole length of the trip, even with complaints from other passengers.

It unclear what type of illness the passenger might have had. Greyhound did not keep track of him after reaching Dallas. TB though is a illness that infects the lungs and does cause a person to cough up blood. (Image: Shutterstock.com)

KTVT-TV reported passengers on the Dallas-bound bus from Los Angeles over the weekend complained that a man coughing up blood should have been removed.

“We both noticed how sick he was and then he started coughing and hacking up blood,” Erin Dent told KTVT.

The bus did eventually stop in Van Horn, Texas, calling for medical help for the sick man who was also deaf. But passenger Doreen Kreuger told KTVT the medics couldn't test the man for TB, saying it would take two days to receive the results.

Other passengers wanted to get off the bus, but Kreuger said the ambulance medics convinced them to stay on.

The sick passenger was allowed to continue on the trip provided he wear a mask, but Kreuger said that because the man was deaf, he didn't seem to understand.

“Both different drivers said ‘put hands over your mouth or hold this over your mouth,’ he would not do it,” Krueger said.

Greyhound spokeswoman Sharrie Williams told KTVT the driver did the right thing in this situation and said the passenger in question did wear the mask as instructed.

While written complaints may be filed after a trip, Dent and Kreuger said they fear TB exposure for those on board the bus and those who have come into contact with passengers since.

“If we’ve been exposed then everybody we come in contact with from now on can be exposed, so we’re real concerned about our families,” Dent said.

Watch KTVT's report about the concerns:

Dallas County Health and Human Services said it would test anyone on the bus for TB free of charge.

TB is caused by bacteria that attacks the lungs. If not treated property, it can be fatal.

According to the CDC, tuberculosis -- once the leading cause of death in the United States -- is an airborne illness that may be spread by an infected person through coughing or sneezing.

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