WFCN —
Etna, Ohio – On Tuesday morning, a semi-truck collided with a high school charter bus, killing three adolescents and injuring six others in a catastrophic five-vehicle accident.
Students from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School in northeastern Ohio were on their way to an event in Columbus when the semi caught fire and smoke billowed out of the bus as a result of the incident. Both lanes of Interstate 70 were blocked for hours after an accident occurred east of the State Route 310 exit.
Three of the cars involved caught fire, according to troopers. The bus’s front end was likewise badly wrecked. The bus and an SUV trailing chaperones had halted on I-70 near the Etna exit due to an earlier accident caused by a semi coming up from behind, according to Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board. She did, however, warn that the chain reaction’s exact sequencing was still up in the air at her office. The anticipated news was for Wednesday afternoon.
The bus carried 54 people, including the driver and pupils or chaperones. The Millersburg-based Pioneer Trails, which ran the show, informed the AP that it was helping authorities with their probe. Mid-State Systems of Hebron, the company that ran the semi, will not speak with NBC4. According to authorities, both commercial vehicle drivers were injured in the incident; one was sent to a hospital, while the other was treated on the spot. Both drivers are expected to make a full recovery.
The driver of the bus and a passenger in another car were also sent to nearby hospitals. According to the school system, 18 out of 20 pupils who were transported to hospitals were discharged by 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The other two students were diagnosed with critical but non-life threatening injuries. Those on the bus who managed to escape were whisked away to a church near Etna, where they were joined with loved ones.
Interstate 70 was blocked near Kirkersville on both the east and west sides, at State Route 310 and State Route 158, respectively. With U.S. 40 to the north and State Route 204 to the south running parallel to I-70, traffic was being forced to depart. After an afternoon and evening of closure, the eastbound lanes were reopened at approximately 4:30 p.m., while the westbound lanes were reopened at about midnight following emergency repaving work.
“Devastating and heartbreaking news to report,” stated Dr. Derek Varansky, superintendent of schools in Tuscarawas Valley, in a message to parents and guardians. With a total enrollment of around 1,200 students, the school, which goes by the name “Tusky Valley,” is located in rural Tuscarawas County, approximately 15 miles south of Canton. Wednesday will see the return to school, according to Varansky.
In spite of the challenges, he announced on Facebook that classes would continue as scheduled. “While we understand that some students and parents may prefer that their child stays at home, we do not want children to be home alone.”
This was the second tragic bus accident in the region to claim the lives of local kids since August. A 52-student elementary school bus derailed and flipped over on the first day of school when a vehicle traveling in the opposite way veered off the road. The Northwestern Local school district in Clark County lost an 11-year-old pupil, and 23 other students were transported to local hospitals. Charges have been filed against the motorist.
Columbus was to host the Ohio School Boards Association convention, and the Tuscarawas Valley bus was en route. All plans for the day were scrapped.
Tuscarawas Valley is our first priority,” stated OSBA. As part of it, we will make our grief counselors available during the trade show. The whole Tuscarawas Valley family is in our prayers.