LICKING COUNTY, Ohio — Six people are confirmed to be dead and 18 were reported injured after a charter bus carrying students from a high school was rear-ended by a semi-truck on Interstate 70 in Licking County Tuesday morning.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the victims as 18-year-old John Mosley, 18-year-old Jeffery Worrell, 15-year-old Katelyn Owens, 56-year-old Dave Kennat, 39-year-old Kristy Gaynor and 45-year-old Shannon Wigfield.
All three teens killed in the crash were on the bus, while the three adults were inside a passenger vehicle that was following the bus.
The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on I-70 West in Licking County, near the Smoke Road underpass and about 26 miles east of Columbus.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the team would begin the investigation into the crash on Wednesday. She added that NTSB will likely be in the area for five to seven days and a preliminary report would likely be issued within the next few weeks.
See below as we highlight the victims of this tragic crash.
Katelyn Owens, 15
Katelyn was a sophomore at Tuscarawas Valley High School and played clarinet in the school's marching band. She was described as "the sweetest person I know."
Jeffery "J.D." Worrell, 18
Jeffery was a senior at Tuscarawas Valley High School and played bass drum in the school's marching band. He was a member of the TVHS marching and concert bands, select choir, drama club, speech and debate team, and pep club. After graduation, he wanted to major in psychology and vocal music or find a job doing voiceovers or voice acting. His sister described him as "the most amazing, outgoing, and kind person."
John "Wyatt" Mosley, 18
Wyatt was a senior at Tuscarawas Valley High School and played snare drum in the school's marching band. He was a member of the TVHS marching band, select choir, drama club, and track team. After graduation, he planned to take a gap year to pursue a career in acting, then go to college for computer programming
Dave Kennat, 56
Dave, of Parma and a graduate of Ohio University, taught math to grades 9-12 at Tuscarawas Valley High School. He was known to the community as "the voice" of the Tusky Valley band, as he would introduce the band for their football halftime shows. According to a friend of his, Dave was the kind of guy who would help and was always willing to lend a hand.
Dave’s friend Angie Leggett said she worked with him at Camp Wakonda. She said he loved spending time in nature and teaching kids.
“We are so grateful for what Dave brought to that camp. We are so grateful for the legacy he left there. He is remembered as a kind man who loved nature, shared that with kids and was really engaging with kids and campers,” she said.
Shannon Wigfield, 45
Shannon was an English Language Arts instructor at the Buckeye Career Center for 24 years. In a Facebook post, the Buckeye Career Center said she was "adored by her co-workers and students and will be remembered for her loving smile and always positive attitude."
“It certainly was something that you could tell she enjoyed and that was apparent in how she interacted with students and certainly how she carried herself day to day that you could see she was very happy she was in her element. She was where she wanted to be," said Bob Alsept, superintendent of Buckeye Career Center.
Kristy Gaynor, 39
Kristy was a parent and chaperone on the band trip and was a mother of three.