In 1988 there was a terrible bus crash on Route 71 between Louisville and Cincinnati. The kids on the bus were from Louisville and were on their way home from an amusement park. A drunk driver in a pick up truck was going the wrong way on the highway and crashed into the front of the bus. The bus blew up into flames and 27 people were killed. 24 of them were young teenagers. It remains the worst drunk driving accident in history.
I never heard about this until I moved here and drove to Cincinnati for the first time. There is a sign on the highway showing where the crash happened.
A few years ago we heard a documentary had been made about the crash, those who were killed and those who survived and their lives since the crash. We have been looking for it for a while and it was recently put on Amazon Prime and we watched it last night.
Incredibly sad story. The documentary was excellent though. They tried to recreate what it was like on the bus in the 1-2 minutes after the crash. They interviewed many people who survived and the families of those who died, plus they told the story of the trial of the man driving the pick up truck. The bus catching fire so quickly was what really killed everyone, more so than the impact from the drunk driver, so the trial was very complicated. what also really got to me was that I was about the same age these kids were in 1988. No one should die at 13 years old.
Anyway, you should watch this. but know that it's very sad and I cried a lot.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076229/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Storyline
IMPACT: AFTER THE CRASH, explores the horrific Carrollton, Kentucky bus crash of May 14, 1988, which killed 27 people (mostly children) and injured nearly 35 others, the worst drunk-driving related accident in U.S. history. The Kentucky tragedy became nationally known, not only because of the devastation it caused, but also because it gave prominence to the then-fledgling national anti-drunk driving organization, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Our documentary takes viewers back to that fateful night including a dramatic recreation of the accident and explores how those who lost family and friends have over the years both suffered and recovered from their pain and losses The film offers a stirring exploration of what it means to try to recover your life, when in an instant, everything is turned upside down.
