Ohio bus crash cause probed after six killed and 18 injured: Updates

The bus, carrying students from the Tuscarawas Valley High School, crashed on an Ohio highway just east of Columbus

Smoke rises from wreckage of Ohio bus crash that killed four, injured 15

Investigators have said that they have gathered “conflicting information” about the cause of a deadly crash involving a school bus travelling along a highway in Ohio on Tuesday.

Three Tuscarawas Valley High School students – Katelyn Owens, 15, Jeffery Worrell, 18, and John Mosely, 18 – died along with a high school teacher and two parent chaperones – Dave Kennat, 56, Kristy Gaynor, 39, and Shannon Wigfield, 45 – when five vehicles were involved in a pile-up on the I-70.

Another 20 students were transported to the hospital following the incident.

The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation to determine how the crash unfolded.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a press conference on Wednesday that “conflicting information” had come to light about the cause.

She also warned that “we have a public health crisis on our roads”. “We need all hands on deck,” she said.

The bus was carrying 57 band students from Tuscarawas Valley Schools, located approximately 120 miles northeast of Columbus and around 43 miles south of Akron, when tragedy struck.

Key points

• Three dead and 15 injured in Ohio bus crash involving high schoolers
• Prayer vigil held at Tuscarawas Valley High School
• Three students among the six dead following Ohio bus crash
• All six victims of Ohio bus crash identified

[15 November 2023 13:20 · Martha Mchardy]

Three students and three adults killed in Ohio school bus crash

Six people are reported dead and 15 others were left injured after a charter bus carrying high school band students collided with a semi-truck in Ohio on Tuesday morning.

Sean Grady, director of Licking County Emergency Management, confirmed the number of fatalities and injured to The Independent, but directed further questions to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

During vigil Tuesday evening at the Tusky Valley Middle-High School stadium, Dr Derek Varansky, superintendent of Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools, said that pupils and chaperones from the school were on their way to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, which was scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

Michelle Del Rey reports:

[15 November 2023 13:40 · Martha Mchardy]

What caused the bus crash?

The exact cause of the bus crash remains unknown, but the National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the incident and will visit the crash scene on Wednesday.

A preliminary investigation report is due to be published in a few weeks, said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB. A more in-depth investigative report on the crash will not be ready for another 12 to 18 months.

While the incident is being investigated, questions remain over the safety of the charter bus, which belonged to Pioneer Trails, a bus company operating out of Millersburg.

The entity has a satisfactory safety rating, according to US Department of Transportation data. It has been involved in one other crash in the last 24 months that resulted in one injured person.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the business said it was cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the crash.

On average, four motorcoach passengers die in bus crashes each year in the US, 1999 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows.

[15 November 2023 14:00 · Mike Bedigan]

Tuscarawas Valley High School to open on Wednesday

Superindentent Dr Derek Varansky said that despite the tragedy, Tuscarawas High School would be open on Wednesday, but that it would not be “a typical school day”.

“Those students on the bus who survived and will live with that traumatic experience into our entire district for the dark days, weeks, months to come,” he said, speaking at a prayer vigil at the school’s football stadium on Tuesday evening.

“Though difficult school will be in session tomorrow. And the reason for that is we don't want any kids at home by themselves. So our doors will be open.

“It will not be a typical school day. There will be many counselors and support staff from other community organisations here, but we also respect and honor anybody who would want to leave their kids home and for our staff who don't feel comfortable being here.”

[15 November 2023 14:20 · Graig Graziosi]

‘One of the best guys I have ever met’: tributes to Ohio bus crash victims start flooding in

Tributes to the victims of a deadly Ohio bus crash that killed six people have flooded in.

The teenagers – Katelyn Owens, 15, Jeffery Worrell, 18, and John Wyatt Mosely, 18 – were killed in the tragic incident, along with a high school teacher and two parent chaperones.

One student called John Wyatt Mosely “one of the best guys I have ever met”. He was “always welcoming, funny, and always willing to share his opinion,” he added.

A post from the Tusky Valley Trojans in October said Mr Mosley was a member of the TVHS Marching Band, select choir, drama club and track team and that he planned to leave school and pursue acting before going to college to study computer programming.

[15 November 2023 14:40 · Martha Mchardy]

How did the crash unfold?

Around 55 people, including 54 students and a driver, were on board a charter bus headed westward towards Columbus when the vehicle was involved in a “chain-reaction crash” on Tuesday morning, Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

A semi-truck collided with the bus, hitting it from behind before bursting into flames, authorities said.

The crash happened at around 8.30am on Interstate 70 West close to the Smoke Road underpass in Licking County, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus.

Three other vehicles were also involved in the crash.

Officials closed the highway in both directions for most of the day while crews cleaned up the site. By around 4.30pm it had been reopened on the Eastbound side, the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) said.

The bus was transporting students to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus at the time of the crash, where the school’s band was due to perform.

The conference was cancelled after news of the accident broke, a spokesperson for the association said.

[15 November 2023 15:00 · Martha Mchardy]

Ohio school band students set off by bus for a performance. It ended in tragedy

A day which began with excitement ended tragically when a charter school bus was involved in a fiery crash on an Ohio highway. Now a community has been left mourning the six victims killed while questions are being asked about what exactly went wrong.

Martha McHardy reports:

[15 November 2023 15:20 · Martha Mchardy]

Who are the victims?

Three teenagers – Katelyn Owens, 15, Jeffery Worrell, 18, and John Mosely, 18 – were killed in the crash, as well as high school teacher Dave Kennat, 56, and parent chaperones Kristy Gaynor, 39, and Shannon Wigfield, 45, who were travelling in a vehicle behind the bus.

All of the individuals killed were pronounced deceased at the scene.

Some 20 other students were transported to the hospital following the crash, 18 of whom have now been released with non-life-threatening injuries.

Two others remain hospitalised with serious but non life-threatening injuries.

The incident was classified as a “mass casualty” event, The Columbus Dispatch reported, meaning that 10 or more people had been injured and needed emergency services to transfer them to local facilities for treatment.

At least 34 students were taken to the Etna United Methodist Church after the incident, where officials set up a reunification center for those not injured.

Don Hawkins, regional communications manager for the Red Cross, said the nonprofit fufilled a request for 30 units of blood from the Mount Carmel Health System, according to local reports.

[15 November 2023 15:45 · Graig Graziosi]

NTSB to provide update on the crash this afternoon

The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday that it would provide an update this afternoon to discuss its investigation into the bus crash outside Columbus that killed three students and three adults from a northeast Ohio school.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said she expects the agency to host the press conference on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

[15 November 2023 16:28 · Graig Graziosi]

Local reporter shares video showing the wreckage of the bus used to carry the high schoolers

A local reporter in Ohio shared a video showing the wreckage of the charter bus that had been carrying band students from Tuscarawas Valley to perform at an educational conference in Columbus.

The bus was rear-ended by a semi-truck in a chain collision the resulted in the deaths of three students and three adults.

[15 November 2023 17:04 · Graig Graziosi]

The NTSB has arrived at the scene of Tuesday’s fatal crash

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have arrived at the scene of Wednesday’s fatal bus accident, which left three high school students and three adults dead.

The NTSB said it would hold a press conference on Wednesday at 4pm to provide an update on the crash investigation.