In a tragic accident on the morning of November 14, 2023, Interstate 70 West in Licking County, Ohio, became the site of a devastating collision involving a charter bus and a semitrailer.
The bus, transporting 57 people from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, was rear-ended by a semi-truck. The incident resulted in the loss of six lives, including three students, and left 20 others injured. The students were two 18-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl. Three adults in a passenger vehicle were also killed. The chain reaction crash ultimately involved two commercial vehicles, two passenger vehicles, and the bus.
The bus was en route to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus when the crash happened shortly after 9 a.m. Among those onboard were students and chaperones from the school district. The impact of the collision caused significant damage and resulted in at least three vehicles on fire, which was clearly visible in footage from the Ohio Department of Transportation cameras.
Licking County Emergency Management Agency Director Sean Grady confirmed the fatalities and injuries. The injured were distributed among five hospitals in the vicinity, including Grant Medical Center, Mount Carmel East, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The bus, owned by Pioneer Trails, a family-operated bus company based in Millersburg, Holmes County, suffered extensive damage. Emergency responders from Licking County and eastern Franklin County were quickly on the scene to manage the aftermath and assist victims.
The Ohio State Police are currently investigating the cause of the crash. The highway was closed in both directions following the accident, causing significant traffic delays.
In response to the gravity of the situation, the American Red Cross dispatched 30 units of blood to a nearby hospital, underscoring the serious nature of the incident.