LANSING - A section of southbound U.S. 127 in Lansing was closed for several hours on Wednesday afternoon after an Ingham County Jail inmate jumped from a moving transport vehicle, police said.

The male inmate, who was wearing leg irons, managed to force open the door of the transport van and jumped, Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said. The inmate suffered critical injuries.

The inmate's name and age were not immediately released, and the incident remains under investigation, Wriggelsworth said.

The incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. in the southbound lanes, just south of Mt. Hope Avenue, Wriggelsworth said.

The bus was carrying 11 inmates and was en route from the Veteran's Memorial Courthouse in downtown Lansing to the jail in Mason, he said.

The inmates were being transported by one deputy, per standard procedure, the sheriff said. He said Michigan State Police are investigating the incident, including how the inmate managed to open the door while the vehicle was moving.

The southbound lanes were closed at Trowbridge Road, and eastbound Interstate 496 also was closed at the U.S. 127 interchange. All lanes were reopened around 5 p.m.

The northbound lanes were not closed, although traffic was backing up in that area, according to police dispatch reports.

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Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.