Newly-released body camera footage captures the moment a heroic highway patrol officer sprang into action and jumped into a still-burning bus in an effort to free any students who may still be alive.
The footage released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows the unidentified officer make a U-turn as soon as he saw smoke billowing from a deadly collision on Interstate 70 on Nov. 14.
He pulls over to a median on the highway and asks others on the scene, “Did we get everybody out.”
A panicked bystander then responds, “No! There’s kids on the bus, but we can’t get to them.”
Immediately, the officer grabbed a fire extinguisher from the trunk of his patrol car and running over to the scene.
The officer first stops at a red passenger car, yelling to get the driver — identified by the Ohio Department of Public Safety only as a 75-year-old man — out of the vehicle and to safety.
“Come on, out,” the cop urges. “Move, move.”
Once the man was safely out of his car, the officer then moved onto the still flaming bus that was carrying 54 high school marching band members and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District to a performance.
The back rows of the bus were engulfed in flames as the cop asked, “Anyone here? Anyone?”
At that point, other good Samaritans followed the cop onto the bus, as he asked for a headcount of all the students who were on board.
“I don’t see anyone,” the cop said before making his way to ask the victims if anyone needed medical attention.
Three high school students were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. They were identified as John Mosely, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn Owens, 15, of Mineral City.
A teacher and two chaperones who were traveling together in a passenger car following the bus were also killed. They were identified as Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar; and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar.
Eighteen others were injured, including the 75-year-old man the officer was seen rescuing, according to WCMH.
He suffered from serious injuries, but his current condition is unclear.
Ohio state officials now say the crash occurred when two passenger vehicles, a Volvo semi truck and the bus all slowed down for traffic.
A Freightliner semi truck operated by Mid State Systems was following too closely, however, and slammed into the back of a Nissan SUV carrying some chaperones — pushing it into the back of the bus, WHIO reports.
The collision then forced the bus to hit a passenger Toyota, which, in turn, hit the Volvo truck.
Eventually the Toyota veered into the left lane, causing the bus to crash into the truck itself.
Troopers reported that the driver of the Freightliner, who was identified as Jacob McDonald, was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time. None of the other drivers were tested.
But McDonald and Mid State Systems have previously been cited for issues like defective brakes and working too many hours.
More than three years before the fatal collision, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio accused the company of multiple violations while McDonald was driving a truck — including brake connections with leaks or restrictions, and brake system pressure loss, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
The company was fined $150 for the violations.
In 2021, following another inspection conducted while McDonald was operating one of the vehicles, the commission wrote a letter to Mid State Systems alleging similar violations, including inoperative or defective brakes, excessive weight and “an automatic air brake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear.”
It was then fined another $100.
“The number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20% of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination,” both the 2020 and 2021 letters read, according to ABC News.
The following year, the commission alleged that McDonald drove beyond the 14-hour duty period — but this time did not fine the company.
Then, less than three weeks before the collision on I-70, the commission reached a settlement with Mid State Systems for $805 for “brake hose or tubing chafing and/or kinking” and “placard/marking issues” involving a truck operated by another driver.
In a statement to ABC News, the company said, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families [affected] by this tragic accident.
“Since this matter is still under investigation, we will reserve further comment at this time.”
The documents also show the commission sent a letter to GA Wintzer & Son Co., operator of the Volvo semi-truck, alleging that on the day of the crash their vehicle had several violations including “brake connections with leaks or constructions,” “failing to secure load” and “inadequate brakes for safe stopping — brake lining condition.”
President Sean Wintzer, however, denied these claims.
“We have received the letter from the PUCO and we disagree with their findings, as we believe the accident caused the conditions noted in the letter.”
The Post has also reached out to Mid State Solutions and GA Wintzer & Son Co. for comment.