Families of Ohio bus crash victims file wrongful death and negligence lawsuit

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Attorneys for three people killed in a serious bus crash involving students en route from a northeast Ohio high school to Columbus have filed a civil lawsuit against the transportation company and others allegedly involved.

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

According to a report, a charter bus, a Nissan Murano, a Toyota Highlander and a Volvo truck were traveling west on I-70 and had to slow down for traffic when the semi-truck struck the Murano, forcing it into the back of the bus before the semi-truck pushed it onto the road and struck the back of the bus. This sent the bus into the Highlander, which struck the Volvo before it crossed into the left lane. The bus then struck the back of the Volvo.

The accidents resulted in a massive fire and smoke pouring from the bus, which was transporting students from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School on their way to an event in Columbus.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that the accident occurred at 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-truck in flames after it slammed into the rear of the bus.

Owens, 15, of Mineral City, Mosley, 18, of Mineral City and Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar were pronounced dead at the scene. Three people in a passenger vehicle 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 parents/guardians, the school district said.

A video released by OSHP begins with footage from a dashboard camera showing a trooper making a U-turn on I-70 as smoke from the crash rises in the distance. After about a minute, the patrol car drives to the scene. The fire burns through the semi, leaving only the framework of the trailer behind. The video continues to show more help arriving at the scene as the fire continues to burn through the semi.

The video then switches to an OSHP officer’s body camera and shows the man going into the trunk of his patrol car to get a fire extinguisher before running to the scene of the crash. The officer runs to the Highlander first, yelling to get the driver – a 75-year-old man from Heath – out of the vehicle.

The driver was taken to Grant Medical Center with serious injuries. The driver of the semi-trailer, a 60-year-old man from Zanesville, was evaluated at the scene for impairment but was found to have none.

The lawsuits filed accuse the defendants of involuntary manslaughter, negligence and vicarious liability. The companies charged include 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 the cost of punitive damages and any other compensation 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 filed a motion for consent to trial of their case, which a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge granted. The defense has until July 31 to do so.