McDonald was operating a semitruck and crashed into a charter bus, killing six people, on Nov. 14, 2023.
The trial for a semitruck driver involved in a deadly collision in Licking County, which resulted in a bus carrying Tuscarawas Valley band students being impacted, is set to continue on Thursday following a temporary pause on Wednesday.
Jacob McDonald faces a total of 26 charges, which include six counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, stemming from the incident that occurred on Interstate 70 close to state Route 310 in November 2023.
Opting for a bench trial at the Licking County Common Pleas Court, McDonald has decided to have a judge adjudicate the case instead of a jury. The trial is anticipated to span three to four days.
McDonald was indicted and booked into the Licking County jail in July 2024, where he has been since the crash, on a $1 million bond.
Watch the trial live on 10TV+.
Day-by-day breakdown of the murder trial
May 5 — Opening statements
The trial kicked off Monday as the courtroom was packed with those involved in the crash and the victims’ families.
Chief Felony Division Prosecuting Attorney Clifford Murphy said, “The defendant was looking short. You have a fog line or zipper line to his left. For a period of a mile plus, he has no difficultly keeping his semi in between those lines. He started receiving a significant amount of cell phone data.”
Defense Attorney Chris Brigdon said McDonald was operating his semi in a reasonable manner and showed video of the semi driving with other cars passing him. He also said the state’s claim of the on-off is “completely made up.”
“AT&T doesn’t tell you what user activity is. They can’t tell you what that data meant,” he said.
He added that the case should never have been called to felony court.
A student, band director and volunteer testified about being on the bus and feeling the impact.
The prosecutor also showed dash camera from the semi and body camera footage from a responding trooper.
Read a recap of the day here.
May 6 — Witness testimonies
The trial continued for its second day on Tuesday, beginning with testimony from the charter bus driver.
Driver Donald Wagler told the judge his leg was injured so badly in the crash that he had to have it amputated, saying he did everything he could to prevent injuries.
“If I wouldn’t have done what I did, it would have been a whole lot more injuries. By turning hard right, I saved a lot more lives that would have been impacted. The bus would have been like an accordion. Would have totally hurt a lot more people,” Wagler said in court.
An Ohio State Highway Patrol sergeant who investigated the crash took the stand afterward.
The biggest question of the day was whether or not McDonald’s was actively using his phone in the moments leading up to the crash.
The defense attorney argued that his phone was burned in the cab after the crash, so there is no way to tell what data was being used at the time. However, a forensic expert said that in their professional opinion, the phone was active.
May 8 — State rests, expert testimony
The state officially rested its case on Thursday.
The defense is expected to call its experts to testify.
What happened on Nov. 14, 2023?
On Nov. 14, 2023, 54 students and three chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District were on their way to Columbus for a band conference where they were supposed to perform.
The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on I-70 West in Licking County, near the Smoke Road underpass and about 26 miles east of Columbus.
Five vehicles were involved in the fiery crash, including the Pioneer Trails charter bus that was transporting the students and chaperones from Tuscarawas Valley.
According to an incident report by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, McDonald was driving a semitruck at 70 mph and did not slow down. He drove over a vehicle and then slammed into the bus.
Three students on the bus were killed, including 18-year-old John Mosely, 15-year-old Katelyn Owens, and 18-year-old Jeffery Worrell. A teacher and two other chaperones also died, including 56-year-old Dave Kennat, 39-year-old Kristy Gaynor and 45-year-old Shannon Wigfield.
More than a dozen people were also injured in the crash. The injured were treated at seven hospitals.
The crash report from OSHP says McDonald did not have any alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of the crash.
What happened after the crash?
The bus was headed to an Ohio School Boards Association conference in Columbus, Tuscawaras Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky said. The conference was canceled after organizers learned of the fatal crash.
The American Red Cross of Central and Southern Ohio said it fulfilled a request for more blood from one hospital in the area, sending 30 units to a hospital in the Mount Carmel Health System, said Marita Salkowski, regional communications director. A center was set up at a United Methodist Church in Etna for bus passengers not in need of medical attention to go to and contact loved ones, she said.
Numerous emergency responders were at the scene, and Ohio Department of Transportation cameras from the area showed smoke coming from the crash site. Police officers were blocking the entrance ramps to I-70 East and West near the scene of the accident, increasing traffic along the road leading to the interstate. Dozens of emergency response vehicles were still at the scene of the accident several hours after it occurred.
“This is our worst nightmare, when we have a bus full of children involved in a crash,” Gov. Mike DeWine said during a news conference at the scene. “Prayers go out to the families, everyone who was on the bus.”
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