WASHINGTON — A truck driver’s inattention led to a fatal crash involving two passenger vehicles, a chartered motorcoach carrying school children and another truck, on Interstate 70 near Etna Ohio, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released today.
“We’ve seen this crash scenario far too often—and it’s preventable,” said Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chairwoman. “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.”
Disastrous Collision
At 8:47 a.m. on Nov. 14, 2023, a truck operated by Mid-State Systems, Inc. was traveling west on I-70 when it failed to slow for a line of traffic caused by an earlier minor crash. The truck collided with the rear of the queue, triggering a chain-reaction collision and fire that spread to the other vehicles. Three students on the motorcoach and three people in a passenger vehicle were killed. More than 40 other people were injured.
Driver Inattention, Failure to Respond to Traffic Queue to Blame for Crash
The NTSB determined that in addition to the driver’s inattention and his failure to respond to the traffic queue, several other issues contributed to the crash. These issues included ineffective traffic management and lack of information on traffic conditions to travelers. Additionally, the truck lacked an in-vehicle driver monitoring system that could have alerted the truck driver to return his attention to the road. The speed difference between the truck and the slowed traffic, along with the post-crash fire, also increased the severity of the injuries.
8 New Safety Recommendations
The NTSB issued eight new safety recommendations and reiterated two previous recommendations. These recommendations include stronger federal guidance to states on managing traffic queues after incidents and on communications between responding agencies, performance standards for collision avoidance technology in commercial vehicles, requirements for driver monitoring systems in commercial vehicles, and more rigorous interior fire safety standards for motorcoaches.
NTSB also recommended that Tuscarawas Valley School District update its process for chartering motorcoach and other large bus transportation to prioritize operators that provide and require the use of lap/shoulder belts for all seating positions. In addition, the Ohio Department of Transportation was urged to implement a statewide strategy for the use of variable speed limits.
The full report is available here.
The investigation docket is available here.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
