Tragedy Strikes as Charter Bus Crash in ETNA, Ohio Leaves Six Dead

Accident – Death – Obituary News : ETNA, Ohio (AP) — A tragic accident occurred on Tuesday morning on an Ohio highway, leaving six people dead and 18 injured. The incident involved a charter bus carrying high school students that was rear-ended by a semitruck. The crash involved a total of five vehicles, including the bus and several passenger vehicles.

The bus, operated by Pioneer Trails and carrying students and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District, was transporting 54 students and chaperones to a conference in Columbus, according to Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky. The students and chaperones were from eastern Ohio.

Three passengers on the bus were pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as John W. Mosely, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, of Mineral City. The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed their deaths on Tuesday night.

The tragedy has left the community in shock. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his condolences during a news conference held at the scene of the accident. “This is our worst nightmare, when we have a bus full of children involved in a crash,” he said. “Prayers go out to the families, everyone who was on the bus.”

In addition to the fatalities, 18 people were injured and taken to area hospitals. The bus driver and 15 students were among those injured. The severity of their injuries is currently unknown.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and a team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators is on its way to the scene to determine what happened. The crash occurred on Interstate 70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Columbus.

The Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, which the students and chaperones were traveling to, was canceled upon learning of the accident. Pioneer Trails, the operator of the charter bus, offered its condolences to those affected and stated that it is cooperating with authorities during the investigation.

The Red Cross has provided support to the victims and their families. They sent 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to assist the injured. A center was also set up at a United Methodist Church in Etna, where bus passengers who did not require medical attention could go to contact their loved ones.

The tragic incident in Ohio is 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 highway in New York, resulting in two fatalities and several injuries.

As the investigation continues, the community of Etna and the Tuscarawas Valley School District are coming together to support those affected by this devastating accident..