UPDATE (July 23, 2024): Authorities now say the truck driver allegedly responsible for the accident is facing multiple charges. Those charges include vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and misdemeanor assault. In total, it’s said there are 26 counts pending.
UPDATE (November 15, 2023): Continuing updates unfortunately say that six people died as a result of the crash. They released the names of the victims, which are as follows:
- John Mosely, 18
- Jeffery Worrell, 18
- Kristy Gaynor, 39
- Shannon Wigfield, 45
- Dave Kennat, 56
- A 15-year-old girl (the girl’s name has been published, but we don’t name minors on this blog)
Authorities at this time say that three of the victims were on the charter bus while three others were in at least one other vehicle. It’s unclear which victims were in which vehicles.
At this time, there is no update on exactly what caused the crash. Authorities say the roadway will continue to be closed as investigations continue.
Licking County, OH — November 14, 2023, at least three people were killed and others were injured due to a bus versus 18-wheeler accident early Tuesday on I-70.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the accident occurred at around 9:00 a.m. along westbound lanes of the interstate near Smoke Road. The incident involved multiple vehicles, including a charter bus carrying students from Tuscarawas Valley and an 18-wheeler.
While the exact cause of the crash remains unspecified right now, details suggest the 18-wheeler rear-ended the charter bus, and a chain-reaction ensued. The wreckage also caught fire. Reports are saying three people died, but authorities have not given specific information about victims at this time. Several others were injured and taken to multiple area hospitals in unspecified conditions.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Beyond the above, very few details about the crash are available. I can only hope authorities are already taking every possible step to get experienced and well-equipped accident reconstructionists to the scene as soon as they can. A lot of police departments are only ever going to see one or two crashes of this magnitude, so it’s unlikely they on their own would be able to handle the more intricate details surrounding these sorts of accidents. A professional accident reconstructionist whose career revolves around these investigations, however, should be able to ensure the victims and families have all the answers they deserve. Hopefully such efforts will uncover what exactly went wrong here and how this awful event could have been avoided.
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