Tragic Ohio Bus Crash Claims Lives of High School Students and Chaperones

Accident – Death – Obituary News : A tragic accident occurred on Tuesday morning when 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 others injured. The incident involved five vehicles, including the Pioneer Trails charter bus from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio.

According to Sean Grady, the Director of the Licking County Emergency Management Agency, the bus was carrying 54 students and chaperones when the crash occurred. Sadly, three passengers on the bus, identified as John W. Mosely, 18, Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his condolences during a news conference at the crash 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.”

In addition to the fatalities, three individuals in one of the other vehicles involved in the crash also lost their lives. They were identified as Dave Kennat, 56, Kristy Gaynor, 39, and Shannon Wigfield, 45. The driver of the remaining passenger vehicle was taken to a hospital, while the drivers of the commercial vehicles sustained varying injuries.

The incident took place on Interstate 70 in Licking County, approximately 26 miles (42 kilometers) east of Columbus, around 9 a.m. Multiple vehicles caught fire as a result of the chain-reaction crash, which is currently under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of investigators to the scene.

The students and chaperones were en route to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus when the accident occurred, as confirmed by Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky. The conference was subsequently canceled upon learning of the crash.

Pioneer Trails, the charter bus company involved, offered its condolences to the affected individuals and stated that it is cooperating fully with authorities. The company refrained from making further comments until the investigation is complete.

In response to the tragedy, the American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio sent 30 units of blood to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System to aid the victims. Additionally, a United Methodist Church in Etna served as a center where bus passengers, not requiring medical attention, could gather and contact their loved ones.

As parents arrived at the Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School parking lot to collect their children, school officials provided updates and support. Laurie Fragasse, a parent, expressed her distress to the Columbus Dispatch, stating, “I’m sick. I’m sick to my stomach.”

Emergency responders swiftly arrived at the scene, and Ohio Department of Transportation cameras captured smoke emanating from the area. Police officers blocked nearby entrance ramps to I-70 East and West, resulting in increased traffic along the road leading to the interstate.

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

The community has rallied together during this difficult time, with a community prayer vigil held at the Tuscarawas Valley Schools football stadium in Zoarville, Ohio. The focus remains on supporting the affected families and providing assistance to the entire school community..