The trial of a Zanesville, Ohio man, Jacob McDonald, charged in connection with a six-person fatal crash on Interstate 70 in November 2023, has been postponed to May 5. This decision was made by Judge W. Davis Branstool in the Licking County Court of Common Pleas following a request from McDonald's attorney.
According to an Ohio State Patrol news release, McDonald was indicted by a Licking County Grand Jury on July 17, 2024. He faces six charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, nine charges of vehicular assault, and 11 charges of assault. The release states that McDonald was responsible for the crash on November 14, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of six individuals: Dave Kennat from Navarre; Kristy Gaynor from Zoar; Shannon Wigfield from Bolivar; John W. Mosley and Jeffery D. Worrell from Bolivar; and Katelyn N. Owens from Mineral City. Mosley, Worrell, and Owens were students at Tuscarawas Valley High School.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary report issued on December 14, 2023, the incident involved a truck-tractor with a semitrailer operated by Mid-State Systems traveling west on I-70 near Etna in Licking County. The truck encountered stopped traffic due to an earlier crash but failed to slow down and collided with several vehicles including a Nissan Murano and a Van Hool bus carrying numerous passengers.
The NTSB report indicates that a post-crash fire engulfed the truck, the Nissan Murano, and part of the bus. The three occupants of the Nissan and three bus passengers sustained fatal injuries while others were treated for various injuries.
An Ohio Highway Patrol report highlights McDonald's driving history with nine traffic convictions between September 2003 and November 2022 for offenses such as speeding and failure to stop for signs. Additionally, in March 2022 he was stopped for speeding while allegedly playing a video game on his mobile phone during an inspection by Indiana State Police.
