I-70 fully reopen in Ohio day after deadly bus crash

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Interstate 70 is reopened on Wednesday, one day after it was closed for hours because of a five-vehicle crash that included a bus filled with high school students and left six dead, including three teenagers.

The westbound lanes of I-70 near its exit with State Route 310 at Etna underwent emergency repaving in response to the fiery crash, reopening around midnight. All lanes had closed about 9 a.m. Tuesday shortly after the accident, with the eastbound lanes reopening about 4:30 p.m.

Live: Traffic at I-70 and State Route 310

Six people – three teenagers on board the bus and three adults in an SUV caravanning with the bus – died as a result of the crash. At least 20 others, including many band students from Tuscarawas Valley Middle-High School onboard the bus, were treated at seven area hospitals. The bus was heading to the Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, where the students were scheduled to perform.

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

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, with chairperson Jennifer Homendy arriving in Columbus on Tuesday night. She said its investigation will consist of nine investigators and two personnel on the transportation disaster assistance team.

“What we're doing on scene is collecting the perishable evidence,” Homendy said. “We're looking for cameras that may have been in motor vehicles or the motor coach, we will want to determine what the sequence of the events was.”

According to statements from Homendy and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the bus and SUV with chaperones had slowed on I-70 in response to a separate accident that involved one other commercial vehicle when the semi came up from behind. Photos sent to NBC4 showed the semi had rammed into the back of that the bus and that the bus had severe damage on its front end, too.

An update is expected from the NTSB on Wednesday afternoon.