A federal transportation official said Sunday she plans to talk to Georgia officials about making changes to the I-75 exit where a bus full of college baseball players from Ohio crashed Friday, killing six people.

"I will certainly talk to the state people to see whether there's anything they can do as an interim measure so that it's not business as usual there," National Transportation Safety board member Kitty Higgins said at a Sunday press conference.

Mikki K. Harris/Staff (ENLARGE)

At the site of the crash Nicole Wingfield, who does not know anyone involved, prays for the families of those hurt or killed.

Higgins said investigators were told by a witness on the Florida-bound bus that the driver was neither on a cellphone nor using a CB radio when the bus careened through the overpass of I-75 at Northside Drive at 5:38 a.m., falling 30 feet.

And an examination of the bus revealed no problems with the brakes, steering, tires or suspension, said Higgins. "The vehicle performed as it should have."

The findings fuel speculation that the driver, who died along with his wife and four Bluffton University players, was confused by signs at the unusual left-hand exit. Authorities did not find skid marks, and said the driver did not intend to exit I-75.

On Sunday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper quoted player Kyle King, who said he woke up to the bus driver's wife screaming, "It's not the highway!"

This morning, Atlanta commuters traveling on I-75 will see little evidence of the horrific crash that shut down the interstate for hours.

But from Florida to Ohio Sunday, the aftershocks were still evident.

In Ohio, it was an emotional reunion at the Toledo airport as some of the injured limped off a chartered Air Tran flight onto a cold tarmac. Others fell into the arms of well-wishers who came to greet them.

Two were taken from the plane in caskets.

Sarah Betts, the older sister of David Betts, a gregarious Bluffton player who was killed in the crash, said she was grateful her family was able to take her brother home.

"He was here, he was on the plane with us ... " Sarah began, her eyes filling with tears.

"That meant everything," heryounger sister Rachel finished.

The family waited in a minivan as David's body was taken to a waiting vehicle. The flight crew stood on the tarmac,heads bowed.

Also killed in the crash were three other players: freshman Scott Harmon; freshman Cody Holp; sophomore Tyler Williams; and bus driver Jerome Niemeyer and his wife, Jean.

The bus crashed on its way to Florida for a baseball tournament. The driver was fresh, having taken over at 4:30 a.m.

Bluffton University President James Harder, who spoke to reporters after the plane landed, said the school was "deeply indebted" to people in Atlanta.

"We saw the hand of God through the people in that community," Harder said.

Before leaving Atlanta, Robert Moore said the Bluffton group has been overwhelmed by kindness. His son Tony, 21, is a junior center fielder and son James, 23, is a 2005 Bluffton graduate who serves on the coaching staff.

"We just want to thank everybody, the Red Cross, the fire department, the police department, the hospitals," Robert Moore said. "The nurses in the hospitals became the moms of these boys until their parents came. We've had local people — local people that don't even know us — who have bought our kids shoes, clothes, food, drink. Call it Southern hospitality or whatever you want to call it, it's been super."

Eight team members remain hospitalized. Among them:

Bluffton coach James Grandey, 29, was in stable condition late Sunday afternoon after coming out of facial surgery at Piedmont Hospital.

"It's stable and he's doing OK," his father, Jim Grandey said outside Piedmont. "We're feeling very relieved."

Bluffton sophomore Mike Ramthun, 21, suffered a leg injury but was expected to be released today, his father said. Zachary Arend, 18, a freshman pitcher, was in critical condition Sunday, said his father.

Unexpected kindnesses

At the crash site, where a crew was repairing the damage Sunday, visitors created a shrine with red carnations, candles and baseball caps — one of which read, "God bless your team."

Strangers the kids from the Mennonite college have met during their time in Georgia have offered to pray with them.

"I don't think people realize how much the little gestures mean to us," said A.J. Ramthun, 18, a freshman second baseman. He has a broken collar bone and a few stitches in his face.

A group of players talked Sunday morning about gratitude and faith. Moving forward, they'll have funerals to attend and grief to process.

"It's going to be rough," said Tyler Sprunger, 21, a junior pitcher. "We still need prayer."

The ordeal has drawn the young men closer and strengthened their faith, he said.

"Life's so fragile," Sprunger said. "The whole situation has made you realize what's important. It's drawn me closer to Christ."

Sprunger helped pull Grandey from the wreck. When players visited their coach in the hospital Sunday, he communicated with written messages.

"He told us he loved us," said Matt Perkins, 20, a sophomore pitcher. "He's always been there for us. Now we have to be there for him."

Sunday in Sarasota, where Bluffton was traveling to play baseball, the Bay Shore Mennonite Church set up extra chairs to accommodate an overflow crowd. Among the attendees were members of the Eastern Mennonite University baseball team, from Harrisonburg, Va., which was scheduled to play Bluffton over the weekend.

At the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta where players and their families have gathered since the crash, Red Cross client service administrator Donna Anderson was hoarse Sunday after a long weekend of volunteer work.

"We had a group grief session," she said.

Some of the young men described hearing the cries of teammates they couldn't reach after the wreck, she said.

"I encouraged them to be supportive of each other," Anderson said. "They're strong. They're a really neat group of young adults."