Published: Wed, Apr. 23, 2008 12:30AM

Modified Wed, Apr. 23, 2008 08:49AM

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"It's my first time on a bus, and I don't ever want to get on again," said Aaron, 37. The Tampa resident grumbled that he lost a money clip with $700 that must have been thrown from the bus, while other passengers said that iPods, wallets and other items had not been recovered from the scene.

As Aaron and the other passengers walked out a back entrance of the hospital Tuesday before noon, three new buses were waiting for them. Greyhound representatives with clipboards approached them and offered them waiver forms. If they signed the forms releasing Greyhound and Steven L. Holloman from any liability, they would be awarded $500.

Passenger Chris Huenink, 25, who started his southward trek on a Greyhound bus in Montreal, said he suffered three broken ribs in the wreck and lost a wallet with $300 in cash. Greyhound's waiver offer was not going to cut it, he said.

Asked whether it was appropriate to approach the injured passengers with the waiver forms as soon as they exited the hospital, Greyhound spokesman Eric Wesley said he did not have any specific details on the waivers.

"We always try to accommodate our passengers as best as possible, so we probably did," Wesley said. "I would assume that's what we deemed the most appropriate time, just because people, we want to get them to their final destination. It may be hard to catch up to them at a later point in time."

Aaron and others said they were not interested in settling.

"My lawyer's on it," he said. "It's a billion-dollar corporation. I'm going to get a chunk of their money."

(Staff researcher Brooke Cain and staff photographer Shawn Rocco contributed to this report.)