Here in Hardin County, Kentucky we are getting ready for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Carrollton Bus Crash, the deadliest drunk driving accident in US history. On May 18, 1988 a church bus was returning to First Christian Church in Radcliff from King's Island, an amusement park near Cincinnati, when it was struck head-on by a pick-up heading the wrong way up I-71. The impact was so devastating that it rammed a leaf spring back into the bus's fuel tank, igniting it.
With the front door jammed by the impact, the only way out was through the back door, but the bus was completely engulfed in a matter of seconds. Twenty-seven people, mostly teenagers, died in the inferno. One of my classmates lost her older brother, my younger sister's best friend lost her older sister, and my current girlfriend was classmates with eight of the victims.
The drunk driver, Larry Mahoney, survived the wreck. He had a BAC of .24 when he was admitted to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. He was convicted of convicted him of 27 counts of manslaughter in the second degree, 16 counts of assault in the second degree, 27 counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree, and one count of driving while under the influence of intoxicants, but under the sentencing rules at the time, the jury could only sentence him to 16 years in prison. He was released after only serving ten years and eleven months behind bars.
Following the crash, Kentucky enacted the strictest school bus safety requirements of any state; including a minimum of nine exits, a cage around the fuel tank, a stronger frame and roof to resist crumpling on impact and rollover, high-backed seats, extra seat padding, a fuel system that slows leaks, flame-retardant seats and floors, reflective tape on all emergency exits, strobe lights on the exterior, and diesel motors (since diesel is not quite as volatile as gasoline).
A documentary is being released to coincide with the anniversary. One of the producers is Harold Dennis, who was horrifically burned during the crash but went on to become a star wide receiver at the University of Kentucky and is now a prominent local businessman. A film about his life, titled The Phoenix, is currently in post-production and should be released sometime in the next year.
Argh! The crash took place on May 14th, not the 18th.