Site of Fatal Bus Crash, May 14, 1988

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It's so simple. A green highway sign between mile markers 40 and 41 on Kentucky's Interstate 71, just inside the Carroll County line. All it says is: SITE OF FATAL BUS CRASH MAY 14, 1988 There's plenty more to the story than those simple words. Twenty nine years ago today the worst drunk-driving accident in U.S. history happened where the southbound lanes sign (it's posted on both sides of the interstate) stands. A total of 27 people -- 24 of whom were under the age of 18 -- died at the site where that green sign stands today. "Fatal bus crash" doesn't begin to describe it. It was one of the most devastating tragedies to hit Kentucky, a state that's known its fair share of tragedies thanks to numerous mine explosions/cave-ins, one of the first workplace shootings not related to the post office, and the third-worst nightclub fire in U.S. history (more on that later this month, as we reach the anniversary of it). The bus was an old school bus, put into use by a church for transporting congregants. The drunk driver was a man who had a .24 blood alcohol level (which was 2 1/2 times the legal limit then, but would be three times the legal limit today). They met, head-on, where that sign is. The results were horrific. The impact of the crash ruptured the bus's gas tank, igniting the bus and reducing it to a charred shell. The pick-up truck was so badly smashed it's hard to believe the driver survived. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, unable to escape the inferno on the bus. There were changes, as happens so many times after such a tragedy. School buses were redesigned with more emergency exits, flame-resistant seat covers, and other safety features that are taken for granted today. As mentioned, the legal definition of "drunk" was lowered from .10 to .08. Twenty seven souls perished that day. Many of the survivors were permanently scarred from the flames. Everyone who was here when it happens remembers and carries the pain in their own way. "Site of Fatal Bus Crash, May 14, 1988" doesn't even begin to tell the story. Here's a 2013 story from a Cincinnati TV station on the 25th anniversary of the crash: