Tragic Charter Bus Crash in Etna, Ohio Leaves Six Dead and 18 Injured

ETNA, Ohio – A devastating accident occurred on Tuesday morning when a charter bus carrying high school students was rear-ended by a semitruck on an Ohio highway. The collision resulted in the loss of six lives and left 18 individuals injured, according to officials.

The tragic incident involved a total of five vehicles, including the Pioneer Trails charter bus that was transporting students and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, as confirmed by Licking County Emergency Management Agency Director Sean Grady.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol announced on Tuesday night that three passengers on the bus, which consisted of a driver and 54 students and chaperones, were pronounced dead at the scene. The deceased individuals have been identified as John W. Mosely, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, of Mineral City.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his condolences during a press conference at the accident site, stating, “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.”

A total of 15 students and the bus driver were transported to nearby hospitals, while other students were taken to a reunification site, according to officials.

Tragically, all three individuals in one of the passenger vehicles involved also lost their lives at the scene. They have been identified as Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar.

The driver of the other passenger vehicle was transported to a hospital, while the drivers of the commercial vehicles involved received medical attention, with one being taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and the other being treated at the scene, as reported by the highway patrol.

The collision took place on Interstate 70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Columbus, around 9 a.m. All the vehicles involved were traveling westbound when the chain-reaction crash occurred. Several vehicles caught fire following the collision, prompting a swift response from emergency services. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and a team of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators has been dispatched to the scene.

The ill-fated bus was en route to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, as stated by Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky. He expressed his focus on reaching out to the families affected by the tragedy and providing support to the entire school community.

The conference was canceled upon learning of the crash, according to spokesperson Jeff Chambers.

In a written statement, Pioneer Trails extended their condolences to those impacted by the accident and stated their cooperation with the authorities. However, they refrained from making further comments until the investigation is complete.

Following the incident, the American Red Cross sent 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to aid the victims. Marita Salkowski, regional communications director for the American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio, informed that a center was established at a United Methodist Church in Etna to provide a space for the bus passengers who did not require medical attention to contact their loved ones.

As concerned parents arrived at Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School parking lot, school officials were present, offering support and information before parents went inside to pick up their children, as reported by the Columbus Dispatch. Laurie Fragasse, a parent who picked up her daughter, expressed her distress, stating, “I’m sick. I’m sick to my stomach.”

This tragic collision marks the second fatal crash involving high school students on a charter bus in recent months. In September, a charter bus carrying high school students to band camp veered off a New York highway, resulting in two fatalities and multiple injuries.

___

Reporting contributed by Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Additional reporting by Ron Todt in Philadelphia and Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey.