Good Day Readers, Today a news has come stating a crash on an Ohio interstate, involving a bus carrying high school students, results in six fatalities and 18 injuries. Stay with this article to find out more about this news. On Tuesday morning, a semitruck rear-ended a Pioneer Trails charter bus filled with high school students on an Ohio highway. The tragic incident, involving five vehicles, resulted in six fatalities and 18 injuries. Among the victims were John W. Mosley, 18, from Mineral City, Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, from Bolivar, and Katelyn N.
Owens, 15, from Mineral City. The bus, part of the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, was carrying a total of 54 students and chaperones. During a news conference at the scene, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine expressed, “This is our worst nightmare when we have a bus full of children involved in a crash. Prayers go out to the families, everyone who was on the bus.” Of the individuals involved, a total of 15 students and the bus driver were transported to area hospitals, while other students were taken to a reunification site, officials reported.
Involving Busload of High School Students
In one of the passenger vehicles, all three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, as stated by the highway patrol. They were identified as Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar. The driver of the second passenger vehicle was also transported to a hospital. Among the drivers of the commercial vehicles involved, one was taken to a hospital with injuries not deemed life-threatening, while the other received treatment at the scene, according to the highway patrol. The incident occurred around 9 a.m. when all the vehicles were traveling westbound on Interstate 70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Columbus. The chain-reaction crash led to at least three vehicles catching fire, as reported by the highway patrol.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and a team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators is en route to the scene. The bus, transporting students and chaperones, was en route to a conference organized by the Ohio School Boards Association in Columbus, as stated by Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky. “At this moment, our primary concern is reaching out to our Tusky Valley families with loved ones on the bus and offering support to our entire school community,” expressed Varansky in a Facebook post. The conference was called off upon receiving news of the crash, as confirmed by spokesperson Jeff Chambers.
In a written statement, Pioneer Trails expressed condolences to those impacted by the crash and mentioned cooperation with authorities. However, further comments are withheld pending the investigation. The American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio, through regional communications director Marita Salkowski, confirmed the dispatch of 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to assist the victims. Additionally, a center was established at a United Methodist Church in Etna, providing a space for bus passengers not requiring medical attention to connect with their loved ones. A multitude of emergency responders attended to the crash, as depicted by Ohio Department of Transportation cameras capturing smoke emanating from the location. Police officers were positioned to block nearby entrance ramps to I-70 East and West, causing heightened traffic on the road leading to the interstate.
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