Trial for Truck Driver Over Deadly I-70 Bus Crash Enters Second Day

Jacob McDonald, a truck driver, is on trial in Licking County, Ohio, facing 26 charges related to a 2023 crash on Interstate 70 that resulted in the deaths of six people, including students and staff from the Tuscarawas Valley School District. The prosecution alleges McDonald was distracted and speeding at the time of the crash, using testimony from other truck drivers and eyewitnesses to support their case. Defense attorneys dispute these claims, suggesting it is difficult to definitively prove McDonald's actions leading up to the accident. The crash involved a charter bus carrying students, a semi-truck, a box truck, and two passenger vehicles, with investigators determining that four vehicles were slowing for traffic when the semi rear-ended an SUV and the bus, igniting a fire. Witnesses, including injured survivors and bystanders, recounted harrowing scenes and efforts to rescue victims at the site. The trial is ongoing, with further witness testimony expected in the coming days.