I just wanted to take a minute to remember those who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed forever on May 14, 1988 in the Carrolton bus crash. It's been 25 years since that terrible crash right here in Kentucky. It is always considered the nation's deadliest drunk driving accident.
At that time, I was a youth director at my church and I think the devastating story hit me so hard because we always took our kids to Kings Island. That year, we did not. I was scared. The parents were scared. And, it made me want to protect those youth so much more than anything ever had.
Below is the account from Wikipedia:
"The Carrollton, Kentucky bus collision was the second deadliest bus disaster in United States history.
At 10:55 p.m. on Saturday May 14, 1988, Larry Wayne Mahoney, a drunk driver in a pickup truck traveling in the wrong direction on an interstate highway in a rural, unincorporated area of Carroll County, Kentucky collided head-on with a gasoline-powered former school bus which was in use as a church bus. The initial crash was exacerbated when the gasoline from the ruptured fuel tank of the bus ignited immediately after impact, which also blocked the front loading door. Difficulties encountered by the victims attempting to evacuate the crowded bus quickly in the smoke and darkness through the only other designated exit, the rear emergency door, resulted in the death of 27 people and injured 34 of 67 passengers. Six passengers escaped without significant injury. Mahoney also sustained injuries.
In the aftermath of the disaster, several family members of victims became active leaders of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and one became national president of the organization (Karolyn Nunnallee). The standards for both operation and equipment for school buses and similar buses were improved in Kentucky and many other states, notably increased emergency exits, better structural integrity, and less volatile fuel."
May all those who died in this accident rest in peace and may the families of all involved find comfort...even after 25 years.
~Nona
