COLUMBUS, Ohio — When you look at the the pictures of the crash scene, it's hard to believe anyone could have survived.
Sadly, not everyone did, as six people were killed in a crash involving a charter bus, a semi-truck, and three other vehicles along Interstate 70 in Licking County. Among those on the bus were members of the Tuscarawas Valley High School band, and three of those students have died.
Sixty-four-year-old Don Wagler was driving the bus, which is owned by Pioneer Trails. His daughter, Valerie Wichert, tells 3News he's been with the company for more than 20 years.
Wichert says her family was "horrified and heartbroken when we saw pictures" of the wreck. They received the call first thing Tuesday morning telling them there had been a horrific accident.
"My mom sent a picture to all of us and said there was a bus crash, and just said, 'Don, I hope you're OK. I hope this wasn't you,'" Wichert recalled. "And about two minutes later, she got a call from the bus company [that] said it was my dad in the accident."
Wagler was sent to Mount Carmel East hospital in Columbus, while many of the injured students were sent to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Besides the three teens, three adult chaperones who were riding in a trailing car were also killed, including a Tusky Valley math teacher.
More than 30 first-responders were on the scene, but investigators are still trying to figure out what lead to the chain-reaction crash. Wichert says her family has not asked Don what happened, but he did tell them this.
"The front of the bus, the driver's side, was torn off," she told us. "So the side of the bus right there was exposed."
Wagler was in surgery for three hours repairing a broken leg. For Valerie and her family, they were expecting the worse.
"Very emotional, very emotional," she said, through tears. "He's on the road a lot, so this is always something that we worry about, but I'm very blessed that he's still here with us."
Wichert says her father, who lives in the Akron area, is expected to make a full recovery. Both the Ohio State Highway Patrol and National Transportation Safety Board will work to learn the cause of the incident.