Tragic Bus Crash in Ohio Leaves Six Dead, Including John W. Mosely, Jeffery D. Worrell, and Katelyn N. Owens

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Tragedy Strikes as Charter Bus Collision Claims Six Lives in Ohio Highway Accident

ETNA, Ohio — In a devastating incident on Tuesday morning, a charter bus carrying high school students was rear-ended by a semitruck on an Ohio highway, resulting in the loss of six lives and leaving 18 individuals injured, according to officials.

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

Tragically, three passengers on the bus, including the driver, and 54 students and chaperones, were pronounced dead at the scene, as confirmed by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Tuesday night. The victims were 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 grief during a news conference at the scene, 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.”

Fifteen 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 were 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 taken to a hospital, while one of the commercial vehicle drivers was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The other commercial vehicle driver received treatment at the scene, the highway patrol reported.

The chain-reaction crash occurred on Interstate 70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles east of Columbus, at around 9 a.m. All vehicles involved were traveling westbound at the time of the accident. Following the collision, at least three vehicles caught fire. 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 students and chaperones on the bus were en route to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, according to Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky.

“Right now, our focus is on getting in touch with our Tusky Valley families who had loved ones on the bus and providing support to our entire school community,” Varansky wrote in a Facebook post.

The conference was canceled after organizers were informed of the tragic accident, stated spokesperson Jeff Chambers.

Pioneer Trails, the charter bus company involved, expressed condolences to those affected by the crash and stated that they are cooperating with authorities. However, they declined to provide further comments pending the ongoing investigation.

Responding to the emergency, the Red Cross sent 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to assist the victims, according to Marita Salkowski, regional communications director for the American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio. Additionally, a center was set up at a United Methodist Church in Etna for bus passengers who did not require medical attention to contact their loved ones.

As concerned parents arrived at Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School, where the students were originally departing from, school officials provided updates and support. Parent Laurie Fragasse, while picking up her daughter, expressed her distress, stating, “I’m sick. I’m sick to my stomach,” as reported by the Columbus Dispatch.

Emergency workers from various agencies responded promptly to the crash. Footage from Ohio Department of Transportation cameras in the vicinity depicted smoke emanating from the accident site. Police officers blocked nearby entrance ramps to I-70 East and West, causing increased traffic along the road leading to the interstate.

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

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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Ron Todt in Philadelphia and Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, New Jersey, contributed to this report..