Draft:2023 Licking County Charter Bus Crash

On November 14th, 2023, a semi-truck rear-ended a charter bus on its way to Columbus while driving on Interstate 70 West, which resulted in both the charter bus and the semi-truck, along with three more vehicles, crashing. The collision resulted in a massive fire in three of the five vehicles, which killed six people (three students on board the bus, two chaperones, and one teacher) and injured eighteen. Those injured were taken by ambulance to seven different hospitals in the region, while the remaining 34 students were taken to the nearby Etina United Methodist Church to be reunited with their parents.

Incident
On Tuesday, November 14th, 2023, a charter bus from Tuscarawas Valley High School carrying 54 people -- mostly members of the school band -- was driving on the Interstate 70 West, on its way to the Ohio School Board Association conference in Columbus. Following the charter bus was a passenger vehicle with three occupants, those occupants being chaperones for the event.

At 8:52 a.m., while driving on the I-70, 26 miles east of Columbus, or about half a mile away from the Etna Township Route 310 Interchange, a semi-truck rear-ended the charter bus. This collision caused a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles: two passenger, two commercial, and the charter bus. The passenger vehicle full of chaperones, which had been following the bus, was struck in the collision, and is suspected to have killed all the three chaperones, as they were pronounced dead at the scene. The collision with the charter bus had sparked a fire in the front of the semi-truck, which had quickly spread to the trailer and rear of the bus. Smoke had begun to pour out from the fire and into both vehicles, which urged to need to escape; however, the front of the bus had been badly damage as well, having collided with the cars in front of it, making it difficult to get out of. It was no easier to escape through the back, as according to one of the students on board the back of the bus, chairs had piled up and seemingly began crushing people. Efforts to escort the students off to safety had begun by chaperones on the bus, as authorities wouldn't arrive till shortly after 9 a.m.

At around 9 a.m., dozens of emergency personnel from Licking and nearby Franklin County responded to a level 3, mass causality incident. Upon arrival, further efforts by firefighters had been made to free the remaining passengers. The efforts in freeing passengers were made increasingly difficult by the growing fire and an explosion which had occurred in the rear of the bus. Reportedly, 18-20 people had been taken to seven different regional hospitals, with one student in critical condition and several more with minor injuries. By this time, three students had already died and were pronounced dead at the scene, the youngest of them being 15. The remaining students were taken to the nearby Etina United Methodist Church to be reunited with their parents.

Aftermath
At 7 p.m. that same day, thousands gathered in the Tuscarawas Valley High School football stadium for a vigil. Prayers were held and six candles were lit in honor of the six victims of the crash. Pastors and counselors were in attendance to help grieving students in parents, following the vigil.

Governor Mike DeWine held observed a moment of silence for the victims during a press conference, later that evening. DeWine would also order all flags in Tuscarawas and Stark County, as well as at the Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes Tower to be flown at half-mast from sunrise November 15, 2023 until sunset on November 18, 2023.