Police have released the names of those involved in a deadly Friday morning accident involving a school bus and a truck in Downtown Columbus.
The crash occurred just after 10:00 a.m. Friday at the intersection of North High Street and Broad Street.
Police tell 10TV a truck ran a red light and collided with a Groveport-Madison school bus. The force of the crash caused the bus to turn sideways and jump a curb, striking two pedestrians.
Stephanie Fibelkorn, a 21-year-old OSU mechanical engineering student, was struck and killed.
Ohio State issued a statement on Fibelkorn's death that said, "We are so saddened by the loss of Stephanie, and our hearts are heavy for her family, friends and loved ones. The support and services of the university are available to those in need."
A male pedestrian standing next to Fibelkorn, 58-year-old Columbus city engineer Bill Lewis, was transported to Grant Medical Center in critical condition.
Medics rushed the driver of the pickup truck, 61-year-old Terrance Trent to the hospital along with his female passenger, 51-year-old Mamie Adams. She is listed in serious condition. Trent is currently hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
The bus driver, 48-year-old Brenda Detty, also went to the hospital, but has been released. Groveport-Madison school officials say the three students on the bus at the time are ok and went home with family members.
Eyewitnesses report the impact of the crash sounded like an explosion.
"My whole life I've never seen something as terrible as this ever,” recalled Brandon McComas.
Witnesses tell 10TV the driver of the red pickup truck was speeding down Broad Street on a flat tire and never touched the brake before he ran the red light and plowed into the bus. Eyewitness Heather Cupp says she viewed the driver going as fast as 40 – 50 miles per hour. “It was kind of crazy cause he had the flat, but he was still going really fast.”
Wade Ellis saw the pick-up coming and in the chaos of the moment, he called 911. "I caught him coming up to my review mirror, then he passed me and I was like ‘jeez, this guy’s driving like crazy!’ Ellis says the truck was darting in and out of traffic downtown and racing through the streets. "The back tire on the passenger side was flat, and I thought, ‘why is this guy driving so fast on a flat tire’? Literally weaving in and out, in and out, of the cars,” he said.
Ellis wasn't the only one who spotted the erratic driving. Another witness saw the driver run two red lights and strike the bus, spinning it around. Meanwhile, Ellis thought the pick-up got stopped by the red light, but then he came up on the accident. "I pull up and it was just terrible, you know, it's a tragic accident.”
At Broad and Third, more than a block away from the crash site, the truck's rim tore gouges in the pavement from the blown tire. There were also bits of rubber in the road. Police say security cameras caught the moment of impact powerful enough to send the school bus skidding sideways.
Investigators are looking at more surveillance video to try to understand why the driver kept speeding forward on a flat tire barreling straight for a school bus with what appears to be no intention of slowing down.
"There was nobody chasing him. It didn't make sense,” adds Cupp.
