I-70 bus crash victims' families file lawsuit for wrongful death, negligence

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Attorneys representing three people who died in a fiery bus crash that included students on their way to Columbus from a northeast Ohio high school filed a civil lawsuit against the trucking company and others who were allegedly involved.

On June 11, representatives for Katelyn Owens, John Mosley and Shannon Wigfield sued a trucking company, a bus company and several individuals that were involved in a crash that occurred on Interstate 70 westbound, just east of the State Route 310 exit to Pataskala.

According to the report, a charter bus, a Nissan Murano, a Toyota Highlander, and a Volvo truck were driving west on Interstate 70 and slowing down for traffic when the semi-trailer hit the Murano, forcing the Murano into the back of the bus before the semi pushed it out into the road, hitting the back of the bus. This then forced the bus into the Highlander, which hit the Volvo before the Highlander spun into the left lane. The bus then hit the rear of the Volvo.

The culmination of the crashes resulted in a massive fire and smoke to pour out of the bus, which was carrying students from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School to an event in Columbus.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported the accident took place about 8:50 a.m. and at least 20 people were taken to seven area hospitals. Images of the immediate aftermath showed the cab of the semi ablaze after it rammed into the back of the bus.

Pronounced dead at the scene from the bus were Owens, 15, of Mineral City, Mosley, 18, of Mineral City and Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar. Three people in a passenger car were also pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said: Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar, and Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar. Kennat was a teacher and Gaynor and Wigfield were parent/chaperones, the school district said.

A video released by OSHP starts with dashboard camera footage of a trooper making a U-turn along I-70 as smoke from the crash can be seen billowing in the distance. After about a minute, the cruiser pulls up to the scene. The fire burns through the semi-truck, leaving nothing but the frame of the trailer. The video continues showing more help arriving at the scene as the fire continues burning through the semi-trailer truck.

The video then switches to an OSHP trooper’s body camera and shows the man going into the trunk of his cruiser to grab a fire extinguisher before running toward the crash scene. The trooper first runs to the Highlander, yelling to get the driver — identified as a 75-year-old Heath man — out of the vehicle.

The driver was taken to Grant Medical Center for serious injuries. The driver of the semi-truck, identified as a 60-year-old Zanesville man, was tested at the scene for impairment, but none was found. 

The lawsuits filed accuses the defendants of wrongful death, negligence and vicarious liability. Among those sued are Mid-State Systems, FYDA Freightliner Columbus Inc., Pioneer Trails and the operators of the truck and bus.

The families are seeking $25,000 in addition to punitive damages costs and other relief the court deems justified under the circumstances.

In the lawsuit filed by Wigfield, defense attorneys for Mid-State Systems and the driver of the truck submitted a request to consent to plead out its case, which was granted by a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge. The defense has until July 31 to do so.