Newly released body camera footage captures the moment a heroic highway patrol officer sprang into action and jumped onto a still-burning bus in an effort to free any students who might still be alive.
Footage released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows the unidentified trooper making a U-turn as soon as he saw smoke billowing from a deadly collision on Interstate 70 on Nov. 14.
He stops at a median on the highway and asks the others at the scene, “Shall we get everyone out?”
A panicked onlooker responds: “No! “There are kids on the bus, but we can’t get to them.”
The officer immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher from the trunk of his patrol car and ran to the scene.
The officer pulls up first to a red passenger car and yells for the driver, identified by the Ohio Department of Public Safety only as a 75-year-old man, to be removed from the vehicle and to safety.
“Come on, get out,” the policeman urges. “Move, Move.”
Once the man was safely out of his car, the officer moved to the still-burning bus carrying 54 members of the high school marching band and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District to a performance.
Body camera footage released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows the moment a heroic police officer entered a burning bus in an effort to save students still on board on November 14. Ohio State Highway Patrol The highway patrol officer immediately grabbed a Fire Extinguisher from the back of his vehicle and boarded the bus. Ohio State Highway Patrol
The back rows of the bus were engulfed in flames as the police officer asked, “Is anyone here? Someone?”
At that point, other good Samaritans followed the police officer onto the bus, as he asked for a headcount of all the students on board.
“I don’t see anyone,” the police officer said before going to ask the victims if anyone needed medical attention.
Three high school students were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. They were identified as John Mosely, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City.
A teacher and two companions who were traveling together in a passenger vehicle following the bus also died. They were identified as Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarra; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar.
The patrol officer called to ask if anyone was still aboard the bus taking students to a band performance. Ohio State Highway Patrol
Eighteen other people were injured, including the 75-year-old man the officer was seen rescuing, according to WCMH.
He suffered serious injuries, but his current condition is unclear.
Ohio state officials now say the crash occurred when two passenger vehicles, a Volvo truck and the bus slowed down for traffic.
However, a Freightliner truck operated by Mid State Systems was following too closely and crashed into the back of a Nissan SUV carrying some companions, pushing it into the back of the bus, WHIO reports.
The collision forced the bus to collide with a passenger Toyota, which in turn collided with the Volvo truck.
Eventually, the Toyota swerved into the left lane, causing the bus to collide with the truck.
Six people died in the accident, including three high school students, a teacher and two companions. Courtesy of the family
Troopers reported that the driver of the Freightliner, identified as Jacob McDonald, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time. None of the other drivers were tested.
But McDonald and Mid State Systems have been cited before for problems such as faulty brakes and working too many hours.
More than three years before the fatal collision, the Ohio Public Utilities Commission charged the company with multiple violations while McDonald was driving a truck, including leaking brake connections or restrictions and loss of brake system pressure, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
The company was fined $150 for the violations.
In 2021, following another inspection conducted while McDonald was operating one of the vehicles, the commission wrote a letter to Mid State Systems alleging similar violations, including inoperative or defective brakes, excessive weight and “an automatic air brake adjustment system that did not It pays to have a job.”
He was then fined another $100.
The accident occurred when a Freightliner truck operated by Mid State Systems was tailgating a passenger vehicle, causing it to collide with the bus.
“The number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes of the vehicle or combination,” the 2020 and 2021 letters say, according to ABC News.
The following year, the commission alleged that McDonald was driving beyond the 14-hour on-duty period, but this time it did not fine the company.
Then, less than three weeks before the collision on I-70, the commission settled with Mid State Systems for $805 for “scuffs and/or kinks in brake hoses or pipes” and “sign/marking issues.” that involved a truck operated by another driver.
In a statement to ABC News, the company said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families. [affected] for this tragic accident.
“As this matter is still under investigation, we will reserve further comment at this time.”
Mid State Systems has previously been cited for problems such as faulty brakes and working excessive hours. AP
The documents also show that the commission sent a letter to GA Wintzer & Son Co., operator of the Volvo truck, alleging that on the day of the accident its vehicle had several violations, including “leaking brake connections or constructions,” “failures to secure load” and “brakes inadequate for safe stopping – condition of brake linings”.
President Sean Wintzer, however, denied these claims.
“We have received the letter from the PUCO and do not agree with its conclusions, as we believe that the accident caused the conditions outlined in the letter.”
The Post also contacted Mid State Solutions and GA Wintzer & Son Co. for comment.
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