Death Toll of Ohio Bus Crash Climbs to 6, Including 3 Teens: ‘Lost Their Lives Way Too Young’
The five vehicles involved in the crash were traveling westbound on I-70 when the collision occurred, leaving one car sandwiched between a bus and a semi
The death toll following Tuesday's bus crash on Interstate 70 in Ohio has climbed to six, according to authorities.
The multi-car crash happened near state Route 310 in Etna Township just before 9 a.m. local time, leading at least three of the vehicles to catch fire, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
All five vehicles — including a charter bus, two commercial vehicles and two passenger vehicles — were traveling westbound on I-70 “when the chain-reaction crash occurred.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said the second passenger car was sandwiched between the bus and the commercial vehicle that rear ended it.
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Six people were pronounced dead at the scene, including three teens on the bus, OSHP said: John W. Mosely, 18, and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, of Mineral City, and Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar.
The charter bus was carrying 54 students and chaperones from Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools when the collision occurred,
Members of Tuscarawas Valley’s high school band were “on their way to perform at the Ohio School Boards Association conference,” according to a statement from Superintendent, Dr. Derek Varansky.
"We are saddened to share that we lost three students in the accident, students who were bright lights, full of life, and who lost their lives way too young," Varanski said.
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Also killed in the collision were the three individuals — Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre, Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar, and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar — who were in the passenger car that was sandwiched between the bus and the semi.
Varansky said the three victims killed in the passenger vehicle were a teacher and two parent chaperones. “There are no words for the sheer magnitude of loss and grief felt by all of us,” he added.
At least 16 people were transported to the hospital with injuries — including the bus driver, the driver of the second passenger vehicle, and one of the two commercial vehicle drivers involved in the crash.
Twenty students were taken to hospitals, 18 of which were released by 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Varansky said. The two others remained hospitalized in serious condition, but with non-life threatening injuries.
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The National Transportation Safety Board is assisting with the investigation into the crash, which will last between 12 and 18 months.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy initially said the bus and one of the passenger cars carrying chaperones slowed down on I-70 near the Etna exit due to an accident, according to ABC News.
Since then, Homendy has said there was “conflicting information” about the sequence of events prior to the collision, according to the Associated Press.
Mid-State Systems, the Hebron company that operates the semi involved in the crash, did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Pioneer Trails, the Millersburg company that operates the charter bus involved in the crash, is cooperating with investigators, according to ABC.
The company did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
More than $27,000 has been raised via GoFundMe to support the victims and families impacted by the crash.
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