The National Safety Transportation Board says in a new report on the deadly 2023 bus crash on I-70 in Licking County that the probable cause of the crash was truck driver Jacob McDonald's inattention and failure to respond to the visibly slow-moving vehicles in front of him.
A news release about the report, released Tuesday, said McDonald’s inattention and failure to respond to the traffic queue led to the crash, among other factors. Those other factors included ineffective traffic management and lack of information on traffic conditions to travelers.
McDonald was found guilty of misdemeanor vehicular homicide and assault in a Licking County court in May. The judge opted not to find McDonald guilty on more serious felony charges.
The crash killed six people who were traveling to Columbus from Tuscarawas Valley Schools, including three students.
McDonald is currently in jail on those charges.
The report said the cause of McDonald's inattentiveness was unknown. McDonald said during the trial he had "no clue what happened" during the crash.
McDonald's phone was destroyed in the crash.
The six people who died in the crash were John Mosley, 18, Jeffery Worrell, 18, Katelyn Owens, 15, Dave Kennat, 56, Kristy Gaynor, 39, and Shannon Wigfield, 46. Mosley, Worrell and Owens were members of the Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools' High School marching band. Kennat and Gaynor were parent chaperones and Wigfield was an English teacher.
McDonald's semi truck was the rear vehicle in a chain reaction crash that involved five vehicles. His truck overrode a SUV carrying chaperones and rear-ended the bus, sparking a fire. The bus then rear ended another SUV and another semi truck.
The first four vehicles were slowing down as it approached traffic caused by a minor crash further west on I-70 near Etna.
McDonald’s truck was traveling 72 miles an hour in a 70 mph speed zone just before the crash, according to the report. The vehicles in front of McDonald were going between 3 and 15 mph.
“We’ve seen this crash scenario far too often—and it’s preventable,” NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said in the news release. “Proven technologies can warn drivers of slowed traffic and prevent collisions before they happen. What’s needed are stronger vehicle safety standards, better traffic incident management and swift action on our recommendations. Lives depend on it.”
The report also found the truck lacked an in-vehicle driver monitoring system that could have alerted the truck driver to return his attention to the road. The report said the speed difference between the truck and the slowed traffic, along with the post-crash fire, also increased the severity of the injuries.
