OHIO — The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary findings of the Interstate-70 crash in Licking County last month, which killed six people, including three teens.
The report echoes the findings released in the Ohio Department of Public Safety's report that came out last month: a chain reaction is what led to the crash.
The crash, which occurred on Nov. 14 at approximately 8:52 a.m., happened after a semi-truck failed to slow down, as there was a traffic back up happening from another accident that occurred about a mile ahead.
As it failed to slow down, the semi-truck struck the rear of a Nissan Murano, which had a driver and two passengers. The semi-truck then collided with a charter bus that was carrying students from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School. The bus had 54 passengers and the driver on board, and it was heading to a conference in Columbus.
The charter bus then struck the rear of a Toyota Highlander, which then hit a Volva combination vehicle, according to the report. The charter bus continued to move forward, eventually collided with the trailer attached to the Volvo.
The report states the collision caused a fire which engulfed the combination vehicle, the Nissan and the rear of the motorcoach.
As a result, six people died — three teens on the bus, two chaperones and a faculty member:
- Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre
- Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar
- Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar
- John Mosley, 18, of Mineral City
- Jeffery Worrell, 18, of Bolivar
- Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City
The NTSB stated it will continue to investigate the crash.
At a November press conference, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said it will take around 12 to 18 months to complete the investigation. Homendy said at any point during the investigation, the NTSB may release recommendations as they see fit.
“Our focus is on safety. Our whole mission is based on determining how this happened, why this happened and prevent it from reoccuwrring," said Homendy.
The bus crash on I-70 is just one of a handful that has happened in Ohio this year.
In August, a bus carrying Northwestern Local Schools students was hit by a 2010 Honda Odyssey. The bus overturned, leaving one student dead and 23 others injured.
In mid-October, there was another bus crash in Perry Township, which injured one child.
“We have a public health crisis on our roads, and we need all-hands-on-deck here. We need to take action to save lives," Homendy said at the November press conference.