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On this day in 1988: Bus crash that killed dozens became America’s deadliest drunk driving tragedy
The pickup driver had a blood alcohol content nearly 2.5 times the legal limit, and the crash killed 27 people.
- Today marks 38 years since a deadly drunk driving crash in Carroll County, Kentucky, killed 27 people, including 24 children. The church bus, carrying 67 people, was returning from Kings Island when struck head-on on I-71.
- Larry Mahoney, driving under the influence of alcohol, struck the bus head-on while traveling the wrong way on I-71. The impact ruptured the fuel tank, engulfing the vehicle in flames and trapping passengers inside.
- Police reported Mahoney's blood alcohol content was nearly 2.5 times the legal limit. A jury convicted him of manslaughter, sentencing him to 16 years, though some critics viewed the sentence as insufficient.
- Carolyn Nunnelly, whose 10 year old daughter died, turned her grief into an opportunity for change. Her advocacy sparked legislative reform, with more than 1400 pieces of legislation passed to improve highway safety.
- The Hardin County Sheriff continues to urge responsible driving today, 38 years later. Seventeen percent of fatal crashes in Kentucky involve impaired drivers, reinforcing why this tragedy remains a critical cautionary reminder.
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On this day in 1988: Bus crash that killed dozens became America’s deadliest drunk driving tragedy
Thirty-eight years ago today, America’s deadliest drunk driving crash killed 27 people after a wrong-way drunk driver slammed into a church bus carrying children in Kentucky. The tragedy changed DUI laws and awareness nationwide.
·Baltimore, United States
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