• WPOIIUM
Mears wins
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METRO EDITION, 196 PAGES, *******
Many feared dead, dozens hurt in fiery 1-71 bus crash
Several people were feared dead and at The truck driver was taken to a hospital. University of Louisville by 2 a.m., said Dr.
least two dozen were seriously Injured in a No charges bad been rued.
fiery bus crash on Interstate 71 near car- Mudd said officials planned to use a Six were transferred to Kosalr Children's
rollton last night.
"I've been on the state police for 2•
years, and this Is the worst so far as the
number of people kllled, so far as the seri-
ousness ol 11," Trooper Jim Mudd said this
morning.
Mudd said the bus, carrying mostly teen-
agers from lhe First Assembly or God
Church In Radcllrr, was hit bead-on by a
pickup going the wrong way and the bus
burst Into names. He said 18 people were
thought to be dead.
Middlesboro plane crash kills 3 of 4 aboard
Craft just misses
two apartment
buildings, house
By CAROL MARIE CROPPER
Start Writer
MIDDLESBORO, Ky, ' - Three doctors
died in a plane crash yesterday as they
headed In search of a plane to replace one
damaged In the tornado lhnl bll the town
Monday.
A fourth passenger, a 20-year~ld Univer-
sity of Illinois studen~ was In critical condl·
!Ion last night al the University of Tennes-
see Medical Center at Knoxville.
The sJngle-engine Mooney 201 went down
about 11 :20 a.m., almost Immediately atter
a weak takeoll rrom Mlddlesboro-Bell
County Airport.
It crashed nose-first on a lawn between a
house and two tour-unit apartment build·
logs about rive blocks from the airport.
The dead men were Stanley Thompson,
~o. of nearby Harrogate, Tenn., and two
Knoxville residents, Stanley Erwin, ~3, and
Elmer McKenzie Jr., 42.
They died Immediately, said Dr. Ronald
Dubin or Mlddlesboro, who watched the
plane take oft then rushed to the scene
atter seeing it disappear below trees.
The surviving passenger, John David
Gray, was severely Injured and uncon·
scious, Dubin said.
" I yelled Inside the cabin, And t think the
most terrifying thing Is that It was quiet,"
said Dubin, who would have been on the
plane if there had been room.
The plane took ort less than a minute
before the crash and seemed to have diffi-
cu lty building up enough speed to leave the
runway, Dubin said. All four men were II-
See MIDDLESBORO
PAGE I~, col. 1, this section
Lt. Gov. Brereton Jone, ahook hIndI wtth members of the Kentucky
Independent Banke,. A11oclatlon during a recent breakfast.
Art1 _ _ _ _ _ 8ectJonJ
Buolne11 _ _ _ _ 8ectlon E
ClHollled ed1 _ 8 7, 8ectJon
De1t11,.___ _ _ _ 8 7.
FHtur19 _ _ _ _ 5oc11on
Forum - - - - 'Settion
Racing reIu1tI _ _
AHi Estate _ _ _ Section
c 20, 21
SPort• - - -- 'S..Uon C
Telling children
about Vietnam
COPYRIGHT@ 1988, THE COURIER.JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY., AGANNETT NEWSPAPER
Don Thomas, head of the emergency room.
crane to lift the bus wreckage onto a flat- Hospital.
bed truck wllh the bodies on It. It would be Two others had been taken to Humana
taken to the National Guard armory In Car- Hospllal-Suburban, but the hospital would
rolllon, which will be used as a temporary not release any lnfonnatlon about them.
morgue, Dr. Jeffrey Alan Campbell, the emergen-
No names of victims were released. cy-room physician at Cerroll County Hospi-
The bus, returning rrom a trip to Klngs tal In Cerrolllon, said bis hospital treated
Island, was carrying 67 people, Mudd said. about 20 patlenls surrertng lrnm bums and
The victims were taken to several area respiratory Injuries.
.bospltals by helicopter and ambulance. "SOme were seriously Injured, but we
Fifteen - at least six of them crtUcally only got the second wave. The most serious-
burned - bad arrived at Humana Hospital· ly injured were taken to Humana Hospital·
A plane crashed amid two apartment buildings and a house Ihort1y after taking off In Mlddleaboro.
Bold player
Eager to leave sidelines, Lt. Gov. Jones
is beginning to signal his game plan
By AL CROSS
StatrWriler
FRANKFORT, Ky, - When he ran ror
lieutenant governor last yea r, Brereton
Jones promised not to "sit on the sidelines"
In an oftlce that has almost no official du-
ties.
He was a newcomer to Kentucky polltlcs,
but he laid out an ambitious agenda for
education. economic development, health
ca re, welfare reform, tourism and agricul·
lure - and for himself, pledging to cut the
cost of his office and acknowledging his
plan to run for governor In 1991.
During his first six months In oftlce,
Jones has stayed mostly on the sidelines.
He made no effort, for example, to have
any part of his program enacted by the
1988 General Assembly,
But he deflnltely has a game plan and Is
not shy about discussing It.
Since the legislature adjourned last
month, he has been focusing on a famlllar
issue - education - In an unorthodox
fashion, repeating his long-held view that
Kentucky's voters can be convinced that
higher taxes tor better schools are a good
Investment In the future.
Exceptional
artistry
SUNDAY MAY 15, 1988. SINGLE COPY $1,21
University or Norton's In Louisville." school superintendent, who thought a
Csmpbell said there were no fatalities at Meade County school bus might be Involved
Cerroll County Hospital. In lhe accident.
Pepper said be went to the Meade County
"There was lots of tire. I don't know If a police dispatch omce, and confirmed from
fire broke out and caused the acddent or If state police In La Grange that no Meade
some sort ot accident caused a tlre. But County bus was Involved. Pepper said the
there was fire - a lot of I~" Cempbell said, contusion apparently resulted from a
Mary Darling, assistant director at Tri· Meade County bus that had been sold to a
County Community Hospital In La Grange, church group two or three years ago. Al•
said that about eight people were treated though the Meade County lettering Is al•
there. ways painted out before buses are sold,
Meade County School Superintendent Siu· Pepper said, the bus Involved In the eccl--
art Pepper said he received a telephone dent apparently had burned, revealing tbe
call atter midnight rrom the Cerroll County old Meade County lettering,
Iraqi oil raid
sets the stage
for test of new
U.S. gulf rules
By PATRICK TYLER
OTheWashlngtonPost
CAIRO, Egypt - In lbe most serious at-
tack this year against Iran's oil shipping,
Iraqi jets struck the offshore Larak oil ter-
minal near the mouth of the Persian Gulf
yesterday, crippling two supertankers and
damaging three others. More than 20 sea-
men were reported missing.
Theraldsetsthestage fora potential test
of new U.S. Navy engagement rules should
Iranian warships attempt to retaliate
against neutral merchant ships In the wa-
terway, as Ibey frequently have done In the
past,
Those rules, anaounced April 29 by De-
fense Secretary Frank Csrluccl, authorize
U.S. warship commanders to assist any
neutral vessel that comes under Iranian at-
tack In International waters. Previously, the
Navy was limited to derendlng only U.S.·
nagged ships, Including II Kuwaiti tankers
that were rereglstered in order to secure
American protection. Iran considers Kuwait
an ally of Iraq, with whom it has been at
war for 7½ years.
Iraq's attacks appeared 10 be part of Us
new offensive strategy to strike against
Iran's economic Interests while attempting
to deter retallation with the threat or long-
range missile salvos from Iraq's large and
newly acquired missile arsenal.
Despite the missile threat, Iran said yes-
terday that it launched an air attack against
Iraqi troop concentrations east ot Baghdad.
Iraq's military command said Iranian artil·
See IRAQI RAID
PAGE 14, col. 4, this section
BLUEGRASS
-STATE POLL
~
Loyalties split
Intheproc~. hehas further stralnedhls
relationship with Gov. Wallace Wilkinson,
who was elected on an anti-tax platform
upon arrival of
and who wants the state conslllution
changedsohecanrun fora secondtermln
baseball season
1991. By ALAN JUDD
Jones,48,a mulllmilllonalrehorsebreed· Slaff Writer
er from Woodford County, acknowledges
that the tax issue Is ''political dynamite" bul Think rast:
profes.ses no other strategy than straight Name the three native Kentuckians ln
talk as he looks to 1991. the U.1seball Hall or Fame.
"I ran because I believe In some thing-;," Pee Wee Reese?
he said In a recent Interview. "If you don't Sure. But lhe former Brooklyn Dodgers
lead, you're not going to get very much ac- shortstop, a Loulsvll llan, was inducted just
complished. Somebody has got to stand up four years ago. So that's an easy answer.
and say we've got to Invest In th e future A. B. "Happy" Chandler?
and quit playing politics wllh the future." Right again. But the former Kentucky
With little 10 do but make plan1; and governor and one-time commissioner of
speeches. Jones says his main mission now major league baseba ll who entered the Hall
is 10 focus attention on important issues, of Fame In 1982 has been In the news a lot
such as education. lately - although the recent publlclly has
In speeches across the state, he uses no
dealt more with his racial views than his
prepared text and makes the same basic baseball accomplishments.
education-and-tax pitch - even to a Demo-
OK. we'll give you the last one:
cratic Party dinner last month In Csmpbell Earle Combs.
County, an unusual place for bold state- Who's Earle Combs?
ments about public policy. Jones said he
He's a Richmond native wbo played tor
the New York Yankees from 192~ to 1935,
See JONES
Back page, col. 4, this section See KENTUCKIANS'
Back page, col. I, this section
Lightning the load
• Louiavlff• lrtl - Partly cloudy
today and tomorrow with a chance
What's in store of showers and thunderstorms. High
today, 87; tomQfrow, 81. Low, 62.
for Wildcats? • Kentucky - Mostly sunny east
8port1, Ptgo C 1 7 today. Partly cloudy elsewhere wllh
a chance of storms. Highs tOClay,
80s: tomorrow, near 80. Lo~,. 60s
Oet1ll1, Page B 2 V
 METRO EDmON, 58 PAGES, *******
R11cue wootcera 1urveyed tho choff9d 1holl of tho school bu1 tho! crolhod and burned near C..nollton Saturday nigh~ killing 27 people -
Fiery deaths of 27 leave questions, anguish
Truck traveling
wrong way brings
horror to Radcliff
teens on outing
By TOM LOFTUS, AL CROSS
aod JUDY BRYANT
Start Writers
CARROLLTON, Ky. - The collision that
turned a church bus lolo a hellish fireball
and killed at least 27 people - most or
them teeo-ageni - lett orrtclals groping !or
answers yesterday as families of the vie·
Ums tried to cope with their unspeakable
grief.
The tmgedy, one or the worst bus acci-
dents lo U.S. history, happened about 10:55
Saturday olgllt when the bus collided head-
oo with a Toyota pickup truck that was
traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71
near C&rrollton.
The bus, which was engulfed by names
shortly after the collision, was returning Its
67 occupants to the First Assembly or God
church In Radcliff after a daylong outing at
Kings Island amusement park north or Cln-
ctnnatl. Many of those on the bus were not
members of the church but were guests.
The oames of the dead were not re-
leased, althougll the sta1e's chief medical
examiner, Dr. George Nichols, said there
were 19 females and eight males. Forty-two
people were hurt, and 17 remained hospi-
talized yesterday evening, Including nine In
critical condition.
Police said the truck, whlcb was travel-
ing north in the southbound lanes, was driv-
en by Larry W. Mahoney, 34, a chemical
See BUS
PAGE 6, col. I, this secUon
SIC TRANSIT GLORIA
Afghan pullout begins to close
Soviet Union's 'bleeding wound'
By RONE TEMPEST
and MICHAEL PARKS
C) The Los Angeles Times
KABUL, A!gllanlstan - The Soviet
army, after falllng for more than eight
years lo overcome a determined Afghan
rebel force aided by the Unlled States,
began Its painful withdrawal from the
mountainous Central Asian country yes-
terday.
At 7 a.m., an armored division of 1,000
Soviet troops and 300 vehicles lett Its gar-
-----
Comk:1 _ _ _ _ _ c e,
Cla11ifltd 1d1 _ _ _ D 7-1C
011,.,,..._ _ _ _ _ , s
F11ture1 _ _ _ _ s.ct1onc
Ptopl,.____ _ _ _ _ A 2
Racing retuttt _ _ _ _ o 7
Sport, _ _ __ ;S.,,tion D
TV, rad""- - - - - C 2
COPYRIGHT fl 1988, THE COURIER.JOURNAL. LOUISVILLE, KY , A GANNm NEWSPAPER
Thl1 four---drlvo Toyoll pickup, which wao traveling north In • IOUthbound
lane, hit th• but head'"°" on Interstate 71. The truck driver w11 hurt Hrloulfy.
INSIDE STORIES
~~·~:-~~r~:~
makeshift morgue at the National
Guard Armory In Carrollton to Identify
their children. Page A9.
• Becauae the Carroll County Amb\J·
tanca Service staged a lake accident
Involving two car1 and a IChool b\Js
about a year ago, medical workers
knew what to do during Sa1urday
night's tragedy. Page A7. · over the loss of 26 youngsters and
• People Injured In the b\Ja-truck
crash are lls1ed. Page A 7.
rtson at Jalalabad, 80 miles eas1 or Ka-
bul, the capital.
Allhougll A!gllan rebel groups based In
Peshawar, Pakistan, had threatened to
disrupt the Soviet withdrawal, no attacks
were reported. The convoy was occasion-
ally escorted by helicopter gunships dur-
ing Its IO-hour journey, and Soviet tank
nests nanked the road at regular Inter-
vals. · Many tenants cheered in 1978 when the
"11 was an easy ride on a good road,"
See SOVIET TROOPS
Back page, cot. I, th is section
Author makes
love connection
FHture11 Page C 1
8 1
=:nfnd ne~~~! ~ ~ha/:m;~.;
key to working 1hrough 1he pain or
losing aeveral In a community, say 1he
residents of the Cow Creek area or
Floyd County, who are still grieving
their bus driver 30 years ago In Ken-
tucky's worst previous b\Js crash.
Pago A 8. · yesterdey outside the Holiday Inn In
* MONDAY MAY 16, 1988 35 CENTS
moat of them teen-- Authoritlff hope to ldenUfy tho bodlH ooon.
The mother of one of the youngstera
killed In the crash was comforted
Carrollton.
Despite millions in renovations,
HUD flunks housing complex
By ROB CUNNINGHAM
Staff Writer
It's been just four years since the Housing
Authority or Loulsvllle completed a S9.3
million renovation of the Parkway Place
public housing complex at 12th and 11111
streets.
The money paid for new roofs, new beat·
Ing-system boilers, kitchen and bathroom
renovations, new doors and Improved Insu-
lation.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment announced a grant for the ren-
ovation.
Now the cheering bas stopped.
Conditions al Parkway Place were rared
Furor erupting
over bridges
Sclonct Journal, Pogt A 10
STAFFPHOlOBYBU.Lu&TER
Survivors recount
terror-filled
moments as bus
became a fireball
By ROBIN GARR
Start Writer
The black Toyota pickup hurtled 1hrougb
1be nlgllt on Its ovenilze llres.11 whlspe(ed
along the fast lane on the wrong side ot
lntenitate 71, sloping down the long grade
toward carrollton from the south.
The long, yellow church bus rumbled
southward, pulling the grade, carryi ng 67
youn~ers and church leaders of the First
~ mbly of God toward their homes In
Radell!!.
Most were sleeping. ti red after the
church's annual outing to Kings Island
amusement park near Cincinnati, said Allen
Tennison, 15. son of the pastor.
Riding In a car a few hundred yard.9 In
front of the church bus, Lisa Sturgeon ot
Turners Station, Ky., yelped as the Toyota's
headllgl115 loomed In the windshield .
"We pulled over real quick Into the slow
lane," she said.
Behind them, the pickup crashed head-on
Into the bus.
"We didn't see his brake llgllts go on at
all - and the next thing we knew, we saw
the flames go up," Sturgeon said.
On the bus. the crash came with little
warning.
"I looked up and I saw a truck and a
motorcycle coming at us," said Thomas
Hem. 15, who was sitting In about lhe third
row from the fronL "Our bus driver tried to
See SURVIVORS
PAGE 8, col. I, this secllon ·
"unsatisfactory," and the housing author1·
ty's maintenance program lhere was de.
scribed as "a complete failure" in a HUD
report released in March.
The report described the maintenance
staff al Parkway Place as unskllled and un-
productive, and said the development's sew-
er and gas lines had deteriorated. Mnny
aP3rtments In the complex, the report said,
were ill-kept and pest-ridden, while others
had holes in the walls and rundown cabl·
nets and fixtures.
Parkway Place Isn't the housing authori-
ty's only complex In poor shape, according
to HUD.
Iroquois Homes also got an unsatisfactory
See DESPITE
Back page, col. I, this section
Dry gleaning
• LOllllv!U. 11'11 - Partly cloudy
today. Mostly sunny tomorrow. High,
81 ; tomorrow, 71 . Low tonight, 52.
• Kentucky - Par11y ck>udy today
with raln ending east in afternoon.
Mostty sunny tomorrow. Highs,
upper 70s to low 80s: tomorrow,
upper 60s to mld-70s. Lows tonight,
upper 40s to low 50s.
01talls1 Page B 2.
A6
Bus crash
killing 27
Jeaves grief,
questions
atidued from Page One
Jl'oti:er from Moxley in rural Owen County,
r,ho was hu rt se riously. No charges had
~111edlast nlght.
• TIie main questions that Investigators
id they could not answer yesterday were:
: Why- was Mahoney's truck on the wrong
!Ide or the divided Interstate? And why did
In bus become enguUed In names so
IIUICkJy?
: AU -?7 victims were burned beyond recog-
Mlion. Authorities said they would Identify
!lrem all positively then noUry their lam·
tnes.
, Do,,ever, the pastor of lhe church said
~ driver, John Pearman, and the church's
u, director, Chuck Kytta, were killed.
!
f"l'
aml8n was an associate pastor ot the
~
uott
and the circuit clerk of Hardin
Famtlies and friends of tho~e unaccount-
tor have been Informed and counseled
atio~I the tlkellhood lhal they have Jost
~.al ones. Many relied on their religious
e,lth to gel them through the ordeal.
• Debra Dame of Radcliff said that since
5:30 a.m. yesterday, when she could not lo-
cate her 11-year-old daughter, Lori, at any
~ Ital, "I've had good reeling, s11e·s wllb
~~:;~·f about 60 relatives and friends
or tnose not yet found and likely to be
among the victims drove In vans to Csrroll
County yesterday morning 10 see whether
t~ey could see their loved ones and to learn
more about the disaster.
I The vans were provided by Fort Knox,
..Yhere 65 percent of the church members
\tork, according to pastor w. Don Tennlson.
The group went to a meeting room at the
ilollday Inn just orr 1-71 al the Ca rrollton
au where they conferred with Nichols.
1
t~~~~~I i!\,r::o~~ t:e~~~fs:~h~!t ~~~
Uiey not see the bodies.
"Visual ldenllricatlon Is Impossible,"
Nicho~ said, h~ voice breaking. "I'm going
ID uy 10 erplaln 10 them that the picture of
~ow they wan1 10 remember their children
I~ 001 in lhat room. It's what's In their wal-
l~ts and In lhelr minds,"
, Tt\e members of the group took Nichols'
udv1ce. Most returned to Radclltr yesterday
qtternoon.
11 51
6
i 1Jdhde a~~ 1:n°~ i~:foJ:°~~: ~:~~J:
11:: reports to reponers all day yesterday,
'11d they are nor sure how Mahoney came
to be driving the wrong way on 1-71.
: " There are places he could have crossed
qver. He cou ld have come on an exit
,amp," Wa11on said. " We are not sure . . .
dow long he had been 1herea11he time of
qie collislon,"
Two students on the bus said lasl night
tltat they saw a motorcycle racing with 1he
a-uck. Walton and Mudd said they had no
mformatlon to substantiate reports of a mo-
torcycle.
• They said the l!Uck hit the right side or
Ole rronl or the 1977 Ford bus.
The bus rhen veered Into a 1977 Csdillac
tir1ven by a man from Akron. Ohio, Walton
S.lid. Walton said nelthertbat driver nor his
,assenger was hurt.
~a~ 1~~~~1it~n~~~l~~:. ~: : ~ c:~~~
8 0
aflcr being charged wllh driving while In·
t0llca1ed, said Carroll Cl rcull Clerk William
Wheeler.
' Mudd said blood was 1aken from both
drtvers for testing, as is the usual practice
1h such cases, but the results probably will
aot be released until the case Is submitted
t..a.J!r;md jury.
Walton said police were "not ruling ou t
an}1hl ng 100 percent" He said yesterday's
lnvestlga1lon focused only on "llfe-lhrealen-
ing developments" such as monitoring the
progress of hospitalized vlcllms and ldenli-
rying the dead.
Darrell Breeden. who lives about a quar-
ter-mile from the scene, said he heard an
, - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- --
'. 27 perished
~ in Floyd County
· tragedy in '58
.. Kentucky's worst bus accident before
• yesterday occurred Feb. 28, 1958, when 26
> yo~n~ters and their bus driver died after
lhclr Floyd Coun1y school bus sideswiped a
stalled 1ruck and skidded in10 the raln-swol·
len Levlsa Fork of the Big Sa ndy River.
The bus. wh ich was traveling U.S. 23
about fou r miles south or Prestonsburg. was
~. loaded with children ages 6 10 18 on thei r
, way 10 Floyd County High School and Pres-
tonsburg Elementary School. Most of them
lived In the Cow Creek area of southern
Floyd County,
Twenty~me children, aided by the drive r
,, of the sta lled truck and other bystanders
• who leaped Into the icy water to help.
~· 8Crambled 10 safety through a rear door as
•• 1he bus sank in JO feet of water, according
-to news accounts at the time.
The current was soswlrtlhatthebus was
• c:n rr1ed more than 100 yards downstream.
IL took more tha n two days for searchers
. to find rhe bus, and the last body was not
recovered unti l May II , more than two
mopths after the accident.
,, w~ t~! r t~m~ h~~-b~~I d7~!~ein°::iii~~
children, a spokesman ror the National
Safety Council said.
MA
State police investigators checked out
the scene of the accident, above and
right. Two chief queatlon, ue: Why WH
the pickup on the wrong aide of the
divided lnter1t1te? And why did the bus
become I fireball so quickly?
John Pearman,
driver of the bus,
was among those
killed.
ASSOCIAfEOPRE.59
explosion, but Walton said Investigators sengers who escaped did so out of the back rollton yesterday brought medical and den-
have not confirmed Iha! there was an ex- emergency exit. tal records with them. The records of mill·
plosion. Nichols said late yesterday that there 1ary families stationed at Fort Knox were
Walton said lnvest1ga1ors have not been were two groups of victims In the aisle - nown to carroll county by Army helicopter.
able to determine why the fire erupted so one between the seventh and ninth rows. Early ye,gerday morning, bours after the
quickly. He did say the truck hll near the and another at the fltth and sixth rows. accident, the bus was a gutted hulk,
bus's gas tank, which he said ~ beneath the He said examinations of the victims at charred gray, its windows and doors gone,
floor jUSI behind the ma in door. the temporary morgue set up In the Nation· the lettering on the sJde almost completely
Tennison and Wayne Spradlin of Ellza· al Guard armory show that all 27 died from burned away.
bethtown, a church board member and me- smoke Inhalation, not from burns or the Im· The front end and cab of the pickup, a
chanic wbo had prime responsibility for pact of the collision.
black. four-wheel-drive Toyota, appeared as
maintenance or the bus.said they believed He sa id smoke inhalation can cause crumpled as a discarded piece of aluminum
the collision caused the fuel tank to ru pture death that quickly, depending on the com- roll .
and explode. Cerroll County Coroner Jim position of the smoke.
Dunn told The Associated Pr9 that the Aflermalh: Th e southbound lanes of t-71
Police cordoned a long stretch of the
southbound lanes and median for several
bus had justbeenrefueled.
were closed by state police, and 1roftlc on
Nichols said the bus has II rows of seats, the northbound lanes was limited as ambu·
hours while they measured the accident
scene and prepared to hoist the bus onto a
with an aisle down the middle. Those seats lances rushed the Inj ured to Csrroll County flatbed truck. Scores of police cars, fire en-
normally are designed to accommodate Memorial Hospital and TM-County Commu· gines and ambulances lined both sides of
three passengers, Walton said. If that ls nlty Hospital In La Grange. Many or the the road.
true, and If the bus was lull, there were 66 more seriously Injured victims were flown Southbound trartic backed up almost five
p8.$engers aboard, pl us Pearman, the driv- by helicopter to Humana Hospital-Unlversl· miles. Hundreds or people trapped In the
er, Walton said. ty ot Louisville. and some of th e Injured jam - Including many youn~ers also re-
However, a llsl of the Injured compiled were taken to three other Louisville hospl· turning on school buses from a day at King-;
from area hospitals last night Included the lals. Island - walked forward until they pressed
names of 42 people - Including Mahoney. Dun n said he thought dental records against the yellow plastic ribbons outlining
But II was not clear whether the other 41 would be requ ired for positive ldenlllica· the accident scene.
were all passengers on th e bus. lion of every victim. About 7:30 a.m. yesterday the bus - with
Wallon and Nichols said most of the pas- Many family membe rs who ca me 10 Cer- victims still aboard - was carefully put
aboard a flatbed truck and driven to lhe
- - - -- - -- - - -- -, armory In Carrollton where It was pu1 Into
the large, open motor-pool area.
Walton said the bus will remain on lhe
truck Inside the armory unUI a full Investi-
gation ls complete. Representatives or the
National Transportation Safety Boord ar·
rived In Carrollton yesterday. They said
Ibey were Involved In the Investigation be-
cause ot the number or fatalities and the
fact that a school bus was involved.
Late In the morning, Nichols and the
chief Investigating officer for the case,
Trooper Henry "SOnny" Cease, went Into
the bus and estimated the number of vic-
tims at 26. Later, when the bodies were re-
moved one by one, Nichols confirmed the
number was 27.
Nichols said the identifications of the vic-
tims wtll be released today " if we're ex-
lraordloarlly lucky."
About noon, the caravan of vans carrying
the loved ones of those missing arrived at
the Holiday Inn about a mile from the ar-
mory. After being advised by Nichols not to
go to the armory, the group remained for a
while In a meeting room at the hotel.
Red Cross workers gave the families
sheets to fill out, !isling Identifying marks
and other Information abou t their missing
loved ones.
Most of the group returned In the vans 10
Radcliff about two hours after arriving, but
some stayed through the evening at the ho-
tel.
Glenn Grubbs, 40, a friend of many or the
victims who rode up from Radcliff In one of
the vans. said: " They're shocked, but their
IUN> PHOTO faith ls not shaken. We're a close-knit
Thirty years ago retcuers worked to remove bodtes from • Floyd County church although we have almost 600 mem-
be"-"
school bus that skidded Into a river, killing 28 youngsters and the driver.
He said one man lost his wife and his two
children.
State pollce troopers who we re at the ac-
cident scene were at a Jos., to try and de-
scribe It to reporters.
"It was a very saddened, gut-wrenching
experience," Mudd said.
The Cerroll County community also was
touched by the tragedy. By mid-morning
yesterday, the Drutbers restaurant across
from the armory had changed the message
on lls highway sign to read, "Our prayers
are with you ,"
The lnvestlgallon: Mudd said Cease·s
preliminary report on the crash would not
be ready for a few days.
Nichols said the position of the bodlt.!
Inside the bus indicated passengers made
"considerable errort" IO nee by exiting
through the rear door. Nichols said many of
the children may have been asleep when
the collision occurred.
Nlchots was being helped at lhe annory
by five staff members from his state med!·
cal examiner's office, two professors from
the Uni versity or Louisville Dental School, a
colonel from the Army Medical Corps, and
Hardin County Coroner Louis B. Lawson, a
dentist.
Walton said Nichols and his crew would
conllnue the Identification process until
about 9 p.m. last night and begin again this
morning about 7.
lnform1tlon for this SIOfy IIIO WH gathered
by at1N writer Robfn G1rr.
Worst bus crash
in nation killed 29
Associated Press
The worst bus accident In U.S. history
occurred In 1976, when a school bus carry-
Ing 53 high school students rrom Yuba City,
Cellf.. plunged ort a freeway ramp near
Martine~ CallC., killing 28 students and a
teacher.
In other major bus accidents In recent
years:
• 21 passengers died when a speeding
Starllne Sightseeing Tours coach wrecked
In a Calllomla canyon on May 30, 1986. The
driver was sentenced to four years In pris-
on.
• 20 people died and 13 were Injured
when a tour bus carrying mostly senior citl·
zens from Dallas plunged Into a 40-toot ra-
vine near Jasper, Ark., on June 5, 1980.
• II people died and 13 were Injured
when a commuter bus crashed through a
guardrail near Quantico, Va., and plunged
down an 80-foot embankment Into a creek
on Feb. 18, 1981.
• 10 teen-agers from a church camp died
when raging OOO<lwaters of the Guadalupe
River In Texas carried away a bus and a
van carrying 43 people on July 17, 1987.
• 9 people died and 19 were injured
when a high school wrestling team's bus
collided with a tanker truck near West Gia·
cler, Mont, on Jan. 21, 1984.
• 4 students and 5 teachers died when a
bus carrying school children to a state con·
ventlon Jen a rural road near Uno, Ark .• on
March 25, 1983.
• 9 people were killed and 14 Injured
when a bus carrying worshipers to a Christ·
mas revival colllded with a truck near
Devers, Texas, on Dec. 24, 1983.
• 6 passengers died and 6 people were
Injured when a Continental Trallways bus
rammed the rear of a truck near Uvtng·
ston, Texas, and plunged 40 feet Into a
creek on Nov. 30, 1983.
• 5 people died and 16 were Injured
when a tractor-trailer and a bus carrying
mentally retarded and handicapped adults
~~~ed near New Berlin, N.Y,, on April 5.
• 5 children died and 20 were Injured
when a truck crossed a center line and
slammed Into a school bus near Snow HIii.
N.C., on May 3t, 1985.

Workers finished tying down I tarpaulin on top of the bumed"°ut achoof bus
yesterday. The bua, with bodlaa aUII Inside, had been hoisted onto I flatbed trailer.
tt WH hauled later to the National Guard Armory In Carrollton, where a temporary
morgue had been aet up.
Crash drill helped speed
medical teams' response
By GIDEON GIL
Staff Writer
About a year ago, the Corron County Am·
bulance service staged a fiery accident in-
volving two cars and a school bus full of
chlldren to pracUce responding to a disas-
ter.
Because or that drut and experience
gaJned five years ago when another bus slid
off Iolerstale 71, kUUng two people and In-
juring 2~. emergency medical workers
knew what to do Saturday night when a
pickup truck crashed Into a church bus,
said Ed Webb, director of the ambulance
service.
"We have plenty or practice with these
buses, unfortunately," said Dr. Jeffrey Alan
campbell, medical director or the doctor,
group that staffs the emergency room of
Corron County Memorial Hospital.
"I think things went awful well out
there," Webb said. "Everybody pulled to-
gether."
Medical pernonnet at the six hospitals
that treated the Injured agreed with Webb's
~ment: Some hospitals were strained,
but they handled the crush or more than 40
Injured passengers fairly smoothly.
The greatest dl!!tculUes came at the ca,.
roll County hospital, where patients over-
nowed Into the hallways and cafeteria, and
at Humana Hospital-University of Louls-
v1Ue, where patients had to be moved out of
the bum unit and Intensive-care units to
make room for the accident victims.
Yesterday evening, 17 people were sllll at
three Loulsvltle hospitals - Kosalr Chll·
dren·~ Unlver,lty and SS. Mary & Eliza-
beth; nine were In critical condition. Pa-
tients at Humana Hospital-Suburban In Lou-
isville, carroll County Memorial Hospital
and Tri-County Community Hospital tn La
Grange all were released.
Ambulance crews from carroll, Gallatin,
Owen, Henry, Trimble and Oldham coun-
lles, as well as helicopters from Unlvernlty
and Jewish hospitals In Loulsvltle, respond·
ed to calls from the state police about 11
p.m. Saturday.
By the time Corron County's three ambu·
lances and others arrived, motorists had
ten tbelr earn and were helping the Injured,
comforting them and keeping them warm
with blankels and extra clothing.
Webb and other carroll County emergen-
cy medical technicians began the process
of "triaging" patients - separating those
hurt most severely. Others provided first
aid and comforted victims waiting to be
picked up by ambulances.
Four of the most serious bum victims
were evacuated by the helicopter ambu-
lances shortly before midnight.
Al the Corroll County hospital, Compbell
beard there had been a bus accident over
the emergency-room radio at the 11 p.m.
shift change. "When they said It was a bus
wreck, I knew we were In trouble," he said.
Compbell Immediately put the hospital's
disaster plan Into e!lecl He kept the early
shift from going home and called In four
area doctors and other medical workers.
Others, who had heard about the accident
on police scanners, showed up at the door
asking to help, Including nurses who didn't
even work there, Campbell said.
By the time the !lrnl patlenls showed up
around midnight. there were 25 to 30
nurses and nurse's aides, five doctors, and
laboratory technicians., X-ray technicians,
respiratory therapists, dietitians and admin-
istrators on band. On a normal night, the
entire 54-bed hospital has two nurses, two
or three aides and one doctor.
Patients overnowed the hospital's three-
bed emergency room. As they arrived -
continuously until 3 a.m. - they were
placed on gurneys and wheelchairs from all
over the hospital. The most serious were
treated In the emergency room or surgery
THE COURIER-JOURNAL. MONDAY MAY 16. 1988 A7
A FIERY TRAGEDY
27 KILLED IN.
TRUCK-BUS CRASH
Injured passengers were taken to ·six hospitals:
I
Carroll County Memorial Hospital, Carrpllton
Tri-County Community Hospital, La Grange
recovery room. Others were lined up in the Humana Hospita~University of Louisville
cafeteria and hallways. Eight patients were Kosair-Children's Hospital, Louisville
transferred by helicopter and ambulance to Humana Hospita~Suburban, Louisville
Unlvernlty and Kosalr Chlldren's In Louls-
vllle. SS. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Louisville
Most or !be victims were burned on the
upper parts or their bodies, laces and In
their lungs and respiratory systems, Comp-
bell said, adding that there were few other
serious Injuries. "II It hadn't been for the
fact the bus caught on fire, there wouldn't
have been much Injuries," he said.
The only big problem, Compbell said, was
thal one or the hospital's two X-ray ma-
chines was out ot order, so there was a
relatively long wait tor X-rays. He also wor-
ried about running out or supplies, but that
didn't happen.
"l was terribly Impressed. There Is no
better funcUonlng emergency room In this
state," said CompbeU, who has worked In
several.
At University, the first paUents arrived
by helicopter at 12:20 a.m. At I a.m., the
hospital Instituted Its disaster plan - the
llrnt time that has happened since the 1983
Corroll County bus crash.
Five more nurses and about 10 doctors
were called In to help In the 16-bed emer-
gency room, and IO nurses were summoned
for the Intensive-care units.
At that Ume, all five burn-unit beds were
occupied and only one lntenslve<are bed
was available. So doctors went through the
units evaluating whether patients were sta-
ble enough to be moved to less Intensive
treatment areas. Seven were moved from
the lntenslve<are units and three from the
bum unit, according to Kelly Moriarty, that
night's nursing supervisor.
University, along with other Louisville
hospitals, has been struggling for a year
with a shortage of crltlcal<are beds, stem-
ming In part from the nationwide nursing
shortage. University has shut down a IO-bed
A list of the injured
Here ls a list of crash victims who
Church member says bus
Intensive-care unit, leaving 30 beds.
The three most seriously burned young-
slern - with hums over 60, 35 and 25 per-
were still hospitalized last night and
tbelr conditions as provided by the
hospitals. Although ages and address-
was in excellent condition
cent ot their bodies - were placed In the es were not available, all but two By AL CROSS vltte, Ind.
bum unit. There was no room In the unit were ldentltled as teen-agers. Staff Writer "The fuel tanks on our coaches are
for seven other burned youngsters. At Kosalr Chlldren's Hospital: Aar· mounted forward of the rear axle and are
Three with burns on their faces and anns on Conyers, critical; Harold Dennls, CARROLLTON, Ky. - The bus In which Inboard," he said. The fuel tank In the bus
- about 15 percent of their bodies - were critical; Kim Dennis, critical; Quentin at least 27 people died on Interstate 71 Sal· that crashed Saturday was under the noor
placed In Isolation rooms In Intensive-care Higgins, cr!Ucal; Mike Jerrernon, seri- urday night bad never given the church In the right front section.
units. The Isolation rooms provide the same ous; Katrina Mueller, critical; Cheryl that owned II any trouble, church officials "What's more slgnlrlcant Is that Inter-city
sterile environment as the burn unit, Mor- Pearman, fair: David Walliser, fair; said yesterday. coaches are diesel-powered and diesel
iarty said, and the nurses there have under- and Pamela Uhey, good. However, the former school bus may not fumes are not explosive. Diesel fuel will
gone training In treating bums. At Humana Hospltat-Unlverslly or have been designed for hlgh~peed travel burn, but tbe flash point Is considerably
Four other patients were transferred to Louisville: Corey Anrentz. critical; on Interstate highways, ol!lclals said. higher than gasoline."
Kosalr Children's. " We just were out of Kimberly Farmer, critical; Karen The First Assembly of God church In The bus that crashed was fueled by gaso-
bum space," said University spokeswoman Foren, critical; Darrin Jaques, seri- Radctur bought the 1977 bus two yearn ago line.
Taylor Rice. Al Kosatr, only two or the ous; Joseph Percefel, serious; and from the Meade County Board of Educa- Wayne Spradlin or Elizabethtown. a
youngsters were placed In Its bum unit, Christy Pearman, critical. tion, said W. Don Tennison, senior pastor of church board member who said he bad
though there was room for more It needed. The driver of the pickup truck, the church. prlmeresponslblllty!ormalntalnlngthe 66·
The others were sent to the Intensive-care Larry W. Mahoney, was listed In seri- While school buses are often used for passenger vehicle, said It was lo excellent
· unit, said spokeswoman Charlotte Tharp. ous condition at that hospital yester· trips much longer than the dally runs to condition.
University's emergency room, which is a day afternoon. and from schools, "they're obviously not as Spradlin said he Is an auto-equipment re-
regjonal trauma center, was sent 11 of the well-built as larger Greyhound buses" that pair Inspector at Fort Knox, where he bas
Al ss. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital:
most seriously Injured patients, but II was Jennifer Scoville, fair. are used mainly for over-the-road journeys., worked for 22 years.
not overburdened, said Dr. Donald Thomas. said Trooper Glenn Walton, a spokesman He said the church required drtvers of
The following were listed as having
director of tbe emergency room. been treated and released: for the Kentucky State Police. the bus to check !ls brakes, lights and fluids
Kosalr also handled the ti patients II re- However, Walton added, "I'm not an en- each time they drove II, and to sign a form
ceived smoothly, Tharp said. The hospital At carroll County Memortnl Hospi- gineer. There ls no Indication so far that after each trip saying Ibey had done so.
triggered tis disaster drill at 2 or 3 a.m., tal: Wayne Cox, Jason Booher, Conrad the bus Is at faun at all." Based on the bus's gas mileage and the
summoning extra doctors, nurses, respira- Garcia, Greg Burlem, Thomas Hertz, II was unclear last night Just what safety capacity or Its fuel tank, Spradlin said driv-
tory therapists and technicians. Amy Constnnce. Linda Padgett, ca- standards apptted to the bus because It was er and associate pastor John Pearman
Eight or the Injured were taken to Tri· trlna McNlckle, Don Tennison, Jeff built in a year In which bUS-58fety stan- probably !ltled the tank ror tbe return trip.
County Community Hospital In La Grange: Durrance, James Slaughter, Eustaclo dards changed, said Alan Pollock, deputy Spradlin said be had the utmost conll·
about 20 miles from the accident. Medical Obregon, Angela Bryant, Jerry Wheel- director for public affairs of the National dence In the driving ability of Pearman,
procedures went smoothly there, even er, Stephanie Howard and Larry Transportation Safely Board. who died In the fire. "He's driven every-
though the hospital olso received people in- Flowers. Pollock said he did not know whether thing from a farm tractor to a tractor-trail-
jured In another accident about the same Al Tri-County Communlly Hospital: standards differ for school buses and com- er. I would jUS( as soon ride with him as
time, said Pam Temple, community-rela- Tammy Darnell, Jeff Wheeler, Jamie mercial buses. anybody."
tions coordinator. Hardesty, Theresa Vi rden and Kim Mike SOdrel, who operates an Inter-city The tragedy was the second bus crash on
Temple said the people Injured In tbe ac- Glover. charter and tour bus service, said school Interstate 71 near Carrollton In the past
cident begeu arriving around midnight, a At Humana Hospital-Suburban: buses are not designed for high speeds. five years. tn July 1983, a church bus carry·
shift change. and nurses who were about to Juan Holt and Sandra Glover. "A typical Inter-city coach, like a Grey- Ing a Memphis. Tenn., group home from a
go off duty remained to help. hound, weighs 26,000 to 28.000 pounds emp- family reunion ran oft the highway north of
Hospital officials summoned two extra Al Kosalr Chlldren·s Hospital: Moni- ty. A typical school bus will weigh less than the town, killing two and Injuring 24.
nurses, and one orderly came in on his que Obregon and Eric Thompson. hat! that," said Sodret, president or The Information for this IIOry WH •ISO gathered
own, she said. Free Enterprise System Inc. In Jefferson- by The Anocl•t•d Pr•11.

Survivors
recount
terror on
blazing bus
ConUnued from Page One
get out of Ute way but COUidn't
"They were coming at us," he said.
"They were drag racing."
Hertz and lJ..year-old Jason Booher said
lbe motorcycle's headlight wasn't on.
Then came the crash, and smoke and
names and screams In the night
It Utrew 11;.year-old Larry Flowers out of
hls seat near the back of the bus.
"What I mainly remember ls hitting the
seat in front of me," Flowers ,aid. "Aod
then the front end caught nre and they
were yelling tor everybody to get ott."
Wayne Cox, 14, ,aid Ute impact jarred
him,
Then be saw the names.
"They spread pretty fast." said Ute
elghUt-grader at Radcliff Middle School,
whose blond hair was singed by Ute fire.
"They just sweeped down Ute middle of
Ut• bus real quick," Cox said.
• Tennison, wbo had been steeping, said he
awakened to a nlghtmartsh scene of "bod·
les pn top of bodies and orange every-
where."
On the bus and In trucks around It. sever-
al people were about to become heroes.
Trucker Patrick Presley of Dallas, Texas,
and another trucker who didn't stay to
leave his name leaped from Utelr cabs and
ran to Ute naming bus.
Sllddenly a gas tank exploded, flltlng Ute
bus with names and smoke. Intense fire
ud smoke crept toward the back of the
bU>, driving screaming passengers ahead of
I~ and Presley empUed his fire extinguish·
er w!Ut no apparent effect
Tben be and the other trucker opened
the rear emergency door, and passengers
started jumping out.
Yoongsters In Ute front and middle of the
&us crammed to Ute back to escape the
~limes. Some remained quietly In their
seats: others clambered over seat tops.
tried to crawl through windows and, worse.
felt, piled In Ute aisles and Jammed Ute rear
doorway.
"I was pinned," sai d cox. "I was under a
tot of people. That's probably wbat saved
me from getting burned.''
Hertz. who had been holding bands with
a new-found girlfriend, grabbed her and
,...
Sharing grief
can help town,
families work
through pain
By ROBIN GARR
Staff Writer
U Ute suddea dealll of a child brings 1
special klod of grief, Ute dealll of a larJe
number of children tn a smau community
can be devastating.
Residents of the Cow Creek area of FIOJd
County, lo SOuUteastern Kentucky, aay Ille)'
sUtt grieve over Ute toss of 26 youngsten
and Utelr bus driver 30 years ago tn Ute
state's worst previous bus crash.
What does Floyd County have to tall Rad-
cttff, Ute norib-centra.l Kentucky town Uta!
tost at least 27 of tis youngsten in a fiery
cbun:h-bus crash tate Saturday?
" My heart goes out to Utese people," aald
Virginia Goble, of Cow Creek. who toot 811
three of her children In the Icy waters of
the Levtsa Fork of Ute Big Sandy River on
9
Fe~b:~e~ t:worklng Utrough Ute pain. ahe
said yesterday, waa &haring It willl !amity,_
friends and nelghbon.
" We did talk to each oUter. We shared
each oUter's burdens, I know Utal We
couldn't bave survived without our neigh·
bors," sbe said.
"They came wllll food. They came to
talk. They came to listen. They came to just
sit and to stay. You don't know bow much It
means unUt you bave lost alt yoo have. I
don't know what we would have done wttb·
out tbem."
Uke Ute people of Cow Creek. Radctllf
and 115 First As.sembty of God church face e
difficult period of grieving Uta! could maal-
fest llself tn way, as varied aa depression.
anger, physical ailments and community
controversy, according to experts on grief
counseling.
Tbe loss of a child Is one of Ute most
dllflcult psychological burdens to bear be-
cause It seems unnatural, said Sandra
Graves, a professor or exprmlve therapies
at Ute University of Loulsvllte.
"Nobody ever accepts Uta! chlldron die
before old folks," sbe said. ''The dealll of a
chttd ls agatnsl Ute natural order of Utlngs.
and when the natural order or things goes
out ot whack, you don't trust the world
around you."
"The first reacUon Is just lremendous
shock and disbelief,'' agreed Liz Elttott. di·
rector of client services for Ute Family and
Chttdren's Ageacy In Louisville.
Everyone goes Utrough grief tn a differ-
ent way, but sooner or later just about ev•
eryone needs to share feelings about t~ El-
liott said.
"SOme people Immediately turn to aUten
and waot a great deal of cnmmunlcaHon
ouutde Ute family," ahe said. "But Uta! lam-
tty ultimately wilt have to come back to-
geUter and discuss Utelr sadness, Utelr loos,
and mourn together."
On Ute oilier hand, ahe said, "Some lam-
lites have a style Utat Utey pUII very closely
Into Utemsetvea and Utey want only each
other and to depend on each other to do
Utelr sharing Utat way. Now, Uta! family
wltt utumately have to beglo to reach out
and reconnect with tbe outside world."
That doesn't come easily for some.
Wllttam Leedy, of Cow Creek. wbo wu 13
at the time of Ute Floyd bus crash, ,aved
the lives of many of hls clas.miates when be
pushed open the bus emergency door and
betped several smelter cbttdren out before
swimming for safety.
"SO many died. He wu hurt so bad. They
were bis friends.'' said bis mother, Cloeva
Leedy. "For a long Ume, be couldn't even
talk about It, It hurl him so mucb."
It's sUtt dlfflcut~ Wttttam Leedy, who ls
writing a book about Ute acctden~ said yes-
terday.
"You never forget IL" be said. "The only
Utlng ynu can do Is, Ute people just putt
togeUter end just pray to God you get
Ill rough IL It just takes Ume."
Besides time, coping willl grief takes pa·
Uence and understandln& Graves and El-
ttntt said.
Said Elliott: "Folks are going to be In tur·
moll, end Utey must not be bard on Utem·
selves, no matter bow angry they feel or
bow much they wonder, 'Wby me? Why did
STM'fPHOTOB'l'KEITH'NUIAMS Utls happen to us?' " ·
A coup.. comforted each other at the Holiday Inn, where Nlattvea of Yictlm1 met wttt, the 1tate medical examiner. The stress of grief can cause real phys-
ical symptoms, Graves said.
"People need to pay attenUon to Utat
struggled to get out girt bed a burned foot and l was getting her burning. I carried over Into Ole median They're going to be affected p~yslcatty,"
"It was so crowded. I kicked the windows over to the side of the road, and then be- where It was grass. and rolled them over." she said. "It can be anything from patplla·
and they would not break through like hind me Ute bus just burst Into flames, end His friends call Hardesty "kind of quiet" tlons of panic to eaUng problems and
Utey'resupposedto." Ute girls had cans of hair spray end Utey and "real nice." weight problems; anxiety, tack of steep, ob-
He managed to leap Utrough Ute jammed just started exploding," be said. His fatlter, Jerry Hardesty, who farms sessive thinking about what went on, and
exit and ran. "Wltbln 45 seconds It blew," Hetlum-ftlled balloons bought at the about t,000 acres In Meade County, calls his add fear because you tblnt there's some-
he sald. amusement park exploded too. son "my right-hand men.'' thing wrong w!Ut you. It's normal, but It's
"Once I got ou~lde l panicked. I didn't Hardesty described Ute hetllsil scene at Hard work on the farm may have given very traumauc."
know wbat to do. Some truck driver banded the rear door. him the strength to rescue his friends. But,
me an extinguisher, bul I didn't know bow "They were just laying down In Ute back be said, "I'd say God helped me." Expres.slng grief also ls lmportan~
10 use It so I handed It 10 someone else." door, stacked up on top of each other, and Graves said.
lnfonnatlon for thl1 1tor, w11 1110 gathered
John Pearman, the associate pastor and no one could get out 'cause they all fell by 1taff wrH.,. Tim Roberts, Hunt Halm and "Don't be afraid to express yourself,
bus driver who did not survive, shouted for down on top of each other. I grabbed their Oavkl CHlrH Ind Thi AHOCllled Pt111. thrnugh journal keeping, wrlUng, scrlbbttng.
everyone to get out of the bus before the arms and pulled,'' be said. writing, wbatever way you can ftnd.''
gasottne exploded. "There were 67 of us on the bus. and not The Floyd County people bad exactly Ute
"Everyone started screaming and holler· very many of us got off.'' right Idea for helping a community cope,
Ing," ,aid 16-year-old Jamie Hardesty, "Ev- There was no shortage of heroes. Governor extends Graves said.
eryone was trying to get off as fast as they '7here's one thing I'm proud of. Every- sympathy to families "It's crltlcally Important Uta! people rally
could." one was helping someone else," Tennison In terms of deattog w!Ut Ute famtUes and
Hardesty, who bad been sitting four seats said. "Everyone was a hero In their own Associated Pres the memorials Utroughout Ute community,"
from the back. was one of the tlrst passen- way." she said.
ger., to escape Utrough the rear exit aher Juen Hot~ 17, places Hardesty high on FRANKFORT, Ky. - Gov. Wallace "Don't leave anyone ouL not Ute young
the truckers got It open. He suffered bums tbe 11st of heroes. Wilkinson extended his sympathy yes- people In school! or Ute otd people tn nurs-
on tbe nose and wrist. "When I jumped off Ute bus, I saw him terday to Ute !amities of the accident ing homes. It's a community tragedy, and
"It wasn't the fire Utat burned us, It was carrying somebody and laid Utem down, victims. as people begin to cope, Utey ere going to
the heat," he said. and ran back up and was trying to get some "Our thoughts and our prayers are want to do something."
He found a lead pipe on lhe ground near more people,'' Holl said of Hardesty, with the !amities and victims or this It's useful to draw on ministers, teecben
the bus and started smashing windows. "He ripped off my sbtrt and he used It tragic accident," the governor said In and other respected flgun!I "to sit down
"I thought maybe If I broke out the win- for bandages. .. . He put tee on people. He a statement issued by his office. "Ev· and talk with the cbttdren, talk about death
dows I could help some of them get out or was like a doctor.'' eryUtlng we can think to do Is being end grief and, speclflcatty, talk about Utls
at least let some or the smoke out. I busted Other students agroed. Tennison said done to provide assistance and com- Incident because, If you don·~ rumors wit!
windows hoping they could get out, but I Hardesty directed paramedics to Ute more fort to them." go wild,'' she said.
don't gu~ they could. Then the bus ex- seriously wounded survivors, and Booher, WIikinson activated the National Added Eltlott: "The whole community Is
ploded two tlmea" an eighth-grader at Radctlff Middle School. Guard unit at Carrollton after the ac- going to have to deal wllll IL ... and It's
Flowers ran to the back and helped the said Hardesty "played a big part He saved cident He also spoke by telephone going to take time."
truckers pull people out the emergency a tot" with the Rev. W. Don Tennison, pas- "Time does help," said Goble, of Floyd
door. Hardesty "was pulllng everyone out," tor of the Radcliff church, County. "It was a tong Ume ago, but you
" I helped a few girt., get out and this one said Booher, "and the people who were never forgeL It's always there,"
r - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - ~ ~ - - _ _ ; - _ _ ; C O U R l = E R . J O l , ~AL \AONOAY MAY •6 "ll38
Family 1nd frlond1 g1tlltrwd y11tord1y momlng 11 Fl11t A111mbly of God church fo, consolation and Information.
Larry Flowe,., 1 p11aenger on tht bus, hugged • friend at the First A1aembly of God church In Radcliff yesterday.
Cortez ,net QuHn Etheredge wept y11t1rd1y. Their daughter,
Kelhawn, 14, w11 • pHHnger on the bua. ..,~
A FIERY TRA EDY
Tammlla Grubba broke Into tears •• ahe apoke to Dan Skeeters.
Shocked town mourns loss
STAFF PHOTO BY TOOO Bl.OWW\I
it shares with anguished kin
By HUNT HELM
Staff Writer
RAIJCUFF, Ky. - Senior paslor W. Don
Tennison stood In the blistering sun outside
the First Assembly of God Cbrtstlan Life
Center and prayed so that everyone would
bear:
"Father, we are so grateful that we can
call upon your name at this hour, knowing
that your ear ls open and your mercy ls
extended unto us."
And when the prayer was over, rive pas-
senger vans - driven by Fort Knox sol-
die", escorted by Radcliff police and load·
ed with the slumping figures of anguished
parents - pulled away tor the two-hour
drive to a makeshlrt morgue at the National
Guard Armory In carrottton.
In a meetJng at tbe church at 8:30 a.m.
yesterday, these parents had been asked to
locale their children's dental charts and
medical records - or at least to recall
what they bad worn to Kings lslond on Sal·
urday - so that officials cou ld Identity the
bodies that still lay In the cbarred remains
or a church bus.
As the caravan pulled out, church mem-
ber Fred Rishel said, "Our congregallon Is
obout 80 percent mllltary famllles. We're
close In the military, and we're close In the
church, And this ts unbelievable."
Members started gathering at the church
early yesterday morning, BS they heard of
the fiery crash that killed 27 of the 67
people on the bus returning from the out·
Ing. Sixteen more remained hospitalized
lost night - a number of them lo critical
cond!Uon. Others had been treated and re-
leased.
Hand-written lists of the Injured and the
unaccountecl-ror had been posted on the
church bulletin board. Children and adu lts
studied the news, scanning the familiar
names with swollen eyes, or running down
the list with a trembling finger.
"Oh, Lord," a leen-ege girl whispered.
"Darrin did go," And then she burst Into
tears.
Tennlson's wife, Marthe, also a senior
pastor, stayed behind to conduct a worship
service after the caravan left
The congregation sang "Amazing Grace"
and Martha Tennison prayed:
"Father, you have taken from us but we
know that those who are gone are In your
presence, where there is fullness or love
and no pain, no tears. . . . In Jesus' name let
lhy comfort rail upon this place and every
broken spirit ... Although we do not under-
STAFF PHOTO BY TOOOBUOWIAN ·stand, we believe that all thlng9 work to-
gether for good,"
Then Martha Tennison told the members
how their music and youth director, Chuck
Kytta, the trip organizer, had met his mak-
er.
"Some of the young people said brother
RADCLI FF Chuck knew be wasn't getting out or there.
so he raised bis band and said, 'It's almOSI
over - I'm going home!' "
OUR PRA YERS She asked whether each person in the
congregaUon could have done the same. It's
an Important question, she said, "because
ARE WITH YOU we don't know what a day will bring forth.''
She told the chu rch that the family mem-
bers on the road to Carrollton "are going to
need us more than ever now In Ibis hour
we're living in. And we need to say, 'Lord,
give us the strength to bear them up.'"
By the end or the service, a Red Cross
disaster-relief truck was serving food and
drinks. LL Yvonne Paez was manning a
military communications post to process In·
formation for families and friends. Helicop-
ters stood ready at Fort Knox to ferry peo-
ple to Ca rrollton If necessary.
Meanwhile, condolences from chu rches
In Germany, California, Texas. New York
and elsewhere were telephoned to Radcliff
yesterday, BS tbe news spreed through Ole
community of about 20,000 In northern
Hardin County.
MOSI people said they learned of the acci-
dent at church or In news reports.
Lucinda Grady said she fell numbed by
the experience, panlcularly beca~ the
victims were so young.
"I cou ldn't even believe It when I hea rd
th is morni ng." Grady sa id. "Even though It
wasn't my child, It's stilt a shock."
"It's 1errlble," said Susan Mundy, a neigh·
bor of associate pastor John Pearman, who
was driving the bus. " I heard about It on
my way to ch urch this morning." Mundy
said her husband, a dentist at Fort Knox.
was on stand-by duty yeste rday In case he
was needed to Identi ty some or the victims.
Sharon McNeil! of Fort Knox said she felt
particularly bad because some of the vic-
tims were relatives of Army personnel.
Michael Ev1n1 11t with hla I-year-old daughter, Amanda , "I'm from a mllltary family, but I've never
,,. under a algn In Radcliff to comfort the families. experienced anything like this." she said.
A9
7
" I've never been In a small town where
something this terrible bas happened."
Tbe Rev. Leo Craycron of SL Cbrlstopher
catholic Church In Radcliff arrived at the
First Assembly of God church about 5:30
yesterday morning to help console the gatll·
ering survivors. He said a Mass tor lbem 11
8:30.
"The whole community is In a state of
shock," Craycroft said tater. "We are pray-
Ing for the families and doing whatever we
can to support them."
Wallace and Goldie Ratliff, returning
home from services at Stlthton Baptist
Cburch, said five people from their churc:Jl
were on the bus.
"Our pastor, Brother (Gene) Wagner, was
called out early about the accident," said
Goldie Ratliff, who operated a beauty sbop
In Radcliff for 40 years. " It was a sad day
In our church."
In the parking lot at First Assembly of
God, six boys ages II to 14 congregated
solemnly on Ulelr own, straddling their
bikes, waiting tor news.
"We bad friends on that bus," said Victor
Parish, 14, who lives in a trailer park near
the church. "We can't find out anything bu t
rumors, so we're going to waft here."
The amusement-park trip Is an annual
oullng the young people pay for by wasblng
cars and mowing lawns.
Charles Jones, principal of Radcliff Mid·
die School, where many of the victims were
students, met early yesterday with counsel-
ors and social workers to plan a response to
the disaster when clas.,es resume thls morn·
Ing.
''Leaming won't be emphasized," Jones
said. "Feelings wilt . We're Just going to 1/Y
to make It through the day. We do ptao -lo
have at least 10 extra counselors on d\Jty."
Ray S1ory, principal at Nonh Hardin
High School, said he also plans to briDJ In
additional counselors today, "and we!re ao-
ing to call on some of the professional peo-
ple In lhe community if we need to." He
said teachers will be encouraged to allow
the students to talk about the accident, lte-
cause thal will help them cope with It.
Back ot First Assembly or God last night,
more than 700 people, Including some of
the Injured still In hospital scrubs, gathered
for an emotional service that emphasized
the comfort of an afterllfe.
With tears and cries of acclamation, the
congregation sang. "Leaning on the eve{-
lastlng arms, safe and secure from ell
alarm."
The congregation was told that positive
Identifications of the dead will take at least
another day. And Christian Education pas-
tor Dan Matllngly said that Ireland Army
Hospital at Fort Knox will open a counsel-
ing center tor tbe grieving families.
Al the morning service yesterday, Martha
Tennison said God 's works cannot always
be understood.
"If we could figure Him out." she told the
church members, " He wouldn't be God.''
Information tor thla IICHY w11 alao gathered
by atatt writers Tim Roberta, Al Cro11 ind
David Cazaree.
Radcliff knows
about tragedy
With a population ol 20,160, Radcliff,
about 30 miles sou th or Louisville, ts just
the 12tb·largest city In Kentucky.
But the Hardin County city ranks high In
the number of tragic accidents that have
befallen Its clllzens In recent years.
Three sewer workers and a police ottlcer
were asphyxiated on July 5, 1985, when a
broken valve allowed poison gas to escape
Into a lift staUon In the city's sewer system.
One worker was overcome near the
valve, and the othe r lhree men died trying
to rescue him. All four - Danny Cum-
mings, Raymond Dawley Jr., Rick DeRulter
and Robert Burns - were well-known In
the community. "It's aboul as terrible a
thing as cou ld possibly happen," one offi-
cial said at the lime.
On Feb. 7, 1986, Elsie carrou was kitted
when a I IS.foot water tank collapsed and
nattened her house. The 62-yeer-old wldo~
escaped from the house but was electrocut-
ed when she became entangled In downed
power lines.
Th e city was Incorporated in 1950.
 Utt <Gourltr-lournal
METRO EDITION, 44 PAGES, ••••••• COPYRIGHT Cl 1988, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY , A GANNETT NEWSPAPER • TUESDAY MAY 17, 1988 35 CENTS

A FIERY TRAGEDY

Truck driver charged with murder

Test indicates SOME FEATURES
he was drunk OF THE BUS Eeatland Meese
19n SUPERIOR BUS
when he hit bus WITH FORD CHASSIS
Meese fires
By TOM LOFTUS
and JUDY BRYANT
Slaff Writers

CARROLLTON, Ky, -The drtver or the

EM ERGENCY EXITS
1. Emergency door at the rear of bus allowed most
survivors to escape Iha fire.
spokesman;
pickup truck that slammed Into a church
bus Saturday night on Interstate 71 was
charged yesterday with 27 counts of capi-
2. Windows were designed to be kicked out in case
ol emergency, but some survivors reported they
were unable to kick them out.
aide resigns
tal murder - one for each of the deaths
lnthe!lerycrash,
Authorities said test results showed that
!;!r:rl~h:a~~~ by crash impact By PETE YOST
Associated Press
the driver, Larry W. Mahoney, J~. ot rural
carroll County, had nearly 2½ times the WASHINGTON - New turmoil erupted
legal llmlt o!alcohol In his blood after the In the Justice Depanment yesterday when
accident. Its chief spokesman revealed that he had
Mahoney's Toyota truck was traveling been fired tor not defending Attorney Gen-
north In the southbound lanes near car- eral Edwin Meese aggressively enough.
rollton when It collided with the bus, Three hours later, the head of Meese·s
which burst Into names. speech-writing team abruptly resigned In
The bus was retu rning Its 67 occupants disgust.
to the First >.s.,embly of God church In
Justice Depanment spokesman Terry
Radell!! alter a daytong outing at KlnllS Eastland said he had been relieved of his
Island amusement park near Cincinnati. duties Friday and that he had defended
Meese "to the best of my ability."
Most of those who died were teen-agers. However, he said that with Meese under
State and local officials announced the
charges against Mahoney, which were cri minal investigation for the past year, "it
would be difficult for me to be as aggres-
liled In Carroll District Court, at a news
conference yesterday afternoon at the sive as he might like."
Independent counsel James McKay is ex-
Kentucky National Guard Armory.
pected to issue a report In th e next two or
Csrroll Cou nty Commonwealth's Attor- three weeks raising numerous questions
ney John Ackman said he would press for about Meese's ethical behavior. In his resig-
the death penalty In the case, which Is to nation letter, Eastland, who has been the
be presented to a Carroll County grand department's publlc-a ffairs director since
jury June 6, April 1985, told Meese, "You have ex·
Ackman said he Is seeking the death pressed to me your desire to have as direc-
penally because of "the circumstances tor of public affairs someone willing lo ag-
surrounding (Ma honey's) driving behavior gressively defend you against, In effect, any
, , , that people were kltled, (and) the !act The gaso{ine tank was under the bus, behind the front door. It was
rd enclosed by tho safotycago mandated~ Ap,il 19n byledB<al and all criticism."
that Innocent victims were lnvol\'ed." However, the public-affairs office "has an
He noted that a person can be charged ~~=-nlb)~~~:~~~r ~1::af:~~~~::n!went obligation to serve not only the attorney
with capltal murder U any of several "ag- flto effect. Survivors said !he lira started at the nght front ol the general but also the Department of Justice
gravating circumstances" are present. One buswheretheluelta~ isloca!ed. and the American people," he said.
See TRUCK Meese said, "Basically I decided this was
PAGE 10, col. I, this sectlon a good time for a change in leadership."
Meese Immediately replaced Eastland
with his No. 2 spokesman, Patrick Konen,
who said he Intends " to be very aggressive

School bus didn't have safety device 1

OTHER STORIES See MEESE FIRES
Back page, col. I, this section

By SCOTT THURM officials and surviving passengers. State officials said yesterday that there a Wrong-way drivers are a
frightening and all-too-frequent
Staff Writer Among the other questions:
• With three people to each or the 22
The church bus that burned after a bench seats, was the bus too crowded?
head..on crash In carroll Cou nty Saturday
are 376 other 1977 Superiors - all bought
through a statewide contract - still used
by Kentucky schools. Sixty of those are In
JeNerson County, said John Wilhoit, direc-
phenomenon on expressway
ramps, according to police.
Story , Page A 8.
Koop report
night was among the last built without a • Would seat belts have prevented pas-
protective cage around Its fuel tank - and sengers from being thrown Into the aisle
was a model that Is still In use In school upon Impact - keeping It clear for an
tor of transportation for the Jefferson
County public schools.
And no one knows how many others
• Survivors of the bus crash tell
of panic and confusion as
students struggled through a
labels nicotine
easier escape?
districts across Kentucky.
The fuel lank ruptured after the 11· • With a center aisle less than a foot
year-0ld bus was hit by a pickup truck, wide and one emergency exit In the rear,
and the 27 people who died were kitted by were there adequate ways out for 67 pe4r
might be in use by churches or other
groups.
The accident comes amid a national de-
bate over the safety of school buses, in-
narrow aisle over fallen
classmates to reach the back
axil. Story, Page A 8, addictive drug
smoke from the resulting fire. The bus a~ pie? cl uding a review by scientists ordered by • The mood was grim at By MIKE BROWN
parcnUy was built before federal regula- Congress. Aadchff Middle School. where Sta ffWrller
tions took effect in 1977 requiring a pro- • Might toxic fumes from burning seat Generally, school buses are "an exceed- 16 of the victims went to school
tective steel cage around fuel tanks of cushions have contributed to the death ingly safe form of lransportallon," said Pa- - 13 of them In tha eighth WAS HINGTON - Giving the antl~mok-
school buses. toll? grade, Story, Page A 9. lng movement new ammunition. U.S. Sur-
tricia Waller, ~late director of the
The question or the tank ls one of many The bus, a 1977 Supertor wllh a Ford Highway Research Center at the Unlversl- • The media descend on geon General C. Everett Koop issued a re-
raised by the accident about the design, chassis, was bought by Radctlff's First As- Radcllft. Story, Page A 9, port yesterday branding nicotine an addic-
regulation and operation of school buses, sembly of God church from the Meade See ACCIDENT tive drug.
according to Industry experts, government County school system last year. PAGE 9, cot. I , this section Tobacco's leading opponents In Congress
said the report will spu r effons to pass new
anti-smoking leglsla-
1\on.
Sen. Bill Bradley,
D-N,J., Immediately
Introduced a bill
lost his entire fam ily. thnl would require
'Typical' man Crash shattered "He has no one else." Jean Grimes. his
sister-in-law and Joy's identical twin, said
the following on all
tobacco produc ts
had previous lives and dreams yesterday. "Joy and the kids were all he
had."
Williams' Indescribable loss Is one
and ads:
" WARNING :
Smoking Is addic-
brushes with law of many families among many. The 27 people who died on
the bus we re mostly between the ages of
tive. Once you start,
you may not be able
10 and 17; lhree were adults. Thirteen 10 stop." -~~~~
BY AL CROSS By HUNT HELM, LARRY BLEIBERG were members of th e First Assembly or Rep. Henry Wax- Koop
StaffWrl!er and DEBORAH YETTER man, D-Call f., chai r-
God ch urch In Radcliff, 14 were Invited
Sta rr Writers friends, mostly from Army families. Six- man of the House Health and Environment
MOXLEY, Ky, - Larry W. Mahoney, Subcommlllee, said the most likely prospect
who was charged yesterday with 27 counts teen were students at Radcliff Middle.
RADCLIFF, Ky, - Sgt. Lee Wlttiams, Williams, a 38-year-old veteran of Vlel· for passage this year by his panel isa bill to
of capital murder in saturday night's colli- known lo his friends as a soldier and a nam, had learned to live with the posslbil- put tobacco products under the control or
sion of his pickup truck with a church bus, Su nday school teacher, but most of all asa lty that death - his own, tn Southeasl Asia the federal Food and Drug Administration.
has had scrapes wi th the law before. family man, lost everything that was dear - migh t separate him from his family. Outside Congress, according 10 tobacco
But those who know him said yesterday to him In Seturday night's bus crash at But he had long since outlived those fears crillcs, lhe report will help undercut the
that the 34-year-old carroll County resi- carrollton. Industry's argu ment lhntsmokerschoose lo
dent Is much like thousands of other when his wife and children went lo Kin~
He lost his wile, Joy, 34, the childhood Island amusement park on the church out- smoke of thei r own free will - an argu-
young J<enlucklans who dropped out of sweetheart he married almost two dec- ing last weekend.
high school and have changed jobs and ades ago when they were still high See KOOP
spouses In search of a belier life while "As a professional soldier, he was
Larry W. Mahoney schoolers in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Back page, col. I, this section
staying close to thei r rural roots. trained 10 die," Chaplain Michael Tilus
In Aprt l 1984, Mahoney paid a line !or He lost his daughter Kristen, 14, the sen- said yesterday. "Butnottohavehlsfamily
They descrtbed him as a typical but qui- sitive glrl who switched last week from die. He's In the Initial stages of shock. He's
et country boy who likes to hunt raccoons. drunken driving in Csrroll Cou nty. A
Breathalyzer test at the time of his arrest clarinet to bass clarinet In the Radcliff walking around for 20 minutes looking for
drive pickups and, on occasion, drink.
indicated a blood-alcohol level of 0.1 6 per- Middle School Band. his glasses when they are on his face. He',! Garbage not private
A blood sample taken from Mahoney cent. He lost his daughter Robin, 10, the pacing his house aIIwo In the morning. The Supreme Court rules that
after the crash showed an alcohol content " I know the boy drank, but as far as sports-minded one who played In her fi rst· As Williams grieved for his family yes- Americans' privacy rights don 't
of 0.24 percent - more than twice the ever softball game lasl week. extend to their garbage, so police
level at wh ich lhe law says a person Is See 'TYPICAL' MAN In the church bus that crashed and See CRASH SHATTERED may search trash without a
presumed to be intoxicated. PAGE 10, col. t , lhls section burned on Interstate 71 , Sgt. Lee Williams PAGE 10, col. 3, this section warrant. Page A 3.

Play it cool
• Louisville area - Sunny today.
Bu1lnes,.__ _ _ _ e s-a High, 71. Winds, 10 to 15 mph.
C..mtc, _ _ _ _ _ c &, 7
Walking Knight decides Clear, cool Ion1ght. Low, 50. Sunny

~=r,,____
Ci111ffled ad, _ _ _ D 8-14
o,,u,,.___ _ _ _ _ e •

:::~: r11ult1 _ _ _ _
Sectio~ ;

~.;J
.I, to work
J
Features Page C 1
to stay at IU
l/'
Sports, Page D
I0morrow. High. 73.
• Kentucky - Sunny today Highs,
60s nor1h 10 mid-70s south. Cool
tonight. Lows, 40s to 50s. Sunny,
tomorrow. Highs, 60s 10 70s.
0 Details, Page B 2 /
TV, radI,.___ _ _ _ c 2
 THE ~OvfllER JOURNA
------~~--------
!JAY MAY "
A community'• mourning w11 signified by I flag at half-staff at the Hardin County Courthouae In Elizabethtown. eu, driver John Pearman worktd In the bufldlng II Hardin Clrcuft Court clerk.
Panic, jammed seating
may have doomed many,
some bus survivors say
By GIDEON GIL
and TIM ROBERTS
Staff Writer,
RADCLIFF, Ky. - Teen-agers panicked
after their church bus crashed Saturday
night. and their mad dash ror tbe only exJt
may have blocked many from escaping.
survivors said yesterday.
They also said that most of the windows
were closed because many chlldrt:n were
wearing clothes that had gotten wet In a
ride at Kings Island.
Some youn~ters managed to climb out
windows. But others said they didn't believe
they could flt through the windows, which
ordinarily open only hattway, and didn't
know how to push them all the way open.
As the bus beaded south on Interstate 71,
many teen-agers went 10 sleep, Including at
least two tying In the aisle and a 1hlrd seat-
ed on a cooler In the aisle near the back or
the bus. survlvon said.
"There were too many people on that
bus." said Conrad Garcia, 14, who said he
was sitting on a girl's lap In the back row
because the bench wasn't wide enough for
three people.
The bus had 11 rows of two benches. with
three to a bencb.
Garcia said he rides 10 Walker Middle
School In Fort Knox on a slmllar bus, which
has a sign In lronl that says II can hold 40
people.
Thomas Hertz. 15, ,aid a girl seated next
to him was hanging halfway Into the aisle
be<ause seating was so tight She fell Into
the aisle on Impact, he said.
But another passenger, 16-year-old
Tammy Darnell or Radcllll, said the bus
was not overcrowded.
Hertz. an eighth-grader at Radcllfl Mid·
die School, dozed In the third or fourth row
on lbe leh side. He was awakened by the
sound of a motorcycle racing the wrong
way hy the right side of the bus.
As be turned his head forward, Hertz
heard the bus brakes screech and saw the
oncoming pickup illuminated In the bus's
headlights. They collided before he could
react. throwing hls head Into the back of
theseatlnfrontofhlm.
Authorities have been asked repeatedly
about accounts from some of the bus pas-
sengers that the pickup truck was racing a
motorcycle Just before the crash.
Slate police capt Neal Brlllaln and
Trooper Jim Mudd said yesterday that their
lnvestigatlonsofarhasnotround evldence
of a motorcycle at the scene. But Brittain
said each of the wllnesses will be inter-
viewed more than once and that Police are
not ruling ou1the possibility that a motorcy-
cle was Involved.
Garcia said that alter he jumped out of
the bus, he saw a large person push a mo-
torcycle out of a ditch at the side of the
road. He saJd the bike was black or dark
blue and the rider was wearing a helmet
Garcia and other passengers who saw the
1988
motorcyclist gave connlctlng reports on
which direction he rode off.
Garcia said the crash threw him forward,
bruising h~ ribs.
Seconds after the collision, he saw names
at the front or the bus. Hertz said names
engulfed the !root right comer of the bus,
shooting to the celling and blocking the
front door.
Garcia said John Pearman, the bus driv-
er, turned to the back of the bus and yelled,
"Open the door and get them out of here."
"I stood up and I picked up lbe emergen-
cy-door handle, and I couldn't get II all the
way open, so I kicked II aod II new open,"
Garcia said,
The aisle quickly lilied as people rushed
the back door. "People were stomping each
other," Garcia said. "They were throwing
each other to the ground. They were push-
ing to get out. They were panicking."
Darnell said she was shaken awake by a
friend In her seat. two or three rows from
the back. She turned and walked to the rear
door. and said she didn't recall the cooler
blocking her way. As she reached the exit,
Darnell was thrown against the side of the
bus by the onrushing mob. She pushed her
way back to the door, only to be squeezed
against the door binge, fracturing her
collarbone, before Jumping out.
"A lot of people were running around
pushing everybody out," she said. "A tot of
people had reason lo be pushing."
Up front, Hertz looked to the aisle and
found It already jammed. So he lay on his
back, pivoted toward the closed window
and tried kicking II out. The window didn't
budge. he said, aod he didn't think he could
have squeezed out.
He cradled Mike Jeflerson against his
right hip and grabbed the band or Kristin
Williams, who had slipped Into the aisle on
Impact, and climbed over seal backs to-
ward the back, dragging the two with him.
Some people remained In their seats, lo·
eluding a boy and a girl who were bugging.
he said.
As Hertz reached the beck, he began hav-
ing trouble breathing, and was forced to let
go of Jellerson and Williams.
He said the smoke smelled something
like burning rubber, but with a strong
chemical odor 100. Before lunging ror the
door, he looked forward, noticing that the
names had advanced to between the third
and fifth rows.
By this time, panicked teen-agers were
piled up inside the rear exit, leaving only
about a foot and a half of space to get out.
Hertz dove through the gap, hut somebody
In the pile grabbed h~ teg trying 10 get up,
leaving Hertz banging upside down from
the top or the pile. After a few seconds, he
tumbled free, and ran from the bus.
" If we had been told whal emergency
procedures were before we started the trip,
it might have made it easier," be said.
lntormatJon IOf this 11ory alto WH gathtfed
by1taftwriter~yBfyanL
A FIERY TRAGEDY
SU,FFPHOTOBYBULUSTER
A wreath hung at Pearman and Sona
Lumber and Hardware, owned by
relativet of bus driver John Pearman.
Confused drivers often
find themselves on wrong
side of state expressways
By ROBIN GARR
Staff Writer
Despite the best ellorls of police and
highway engineers to guide mntorlsts onto
e:rp"""8ys In the right dlrectlon, wmng-
way drivers are a frightening and all-t~
frequent phenomenon, state troopers and
local police say.
Jellerson County police are called to help
errant drivers reverse direction on county
expressways about a halt-<l.ozen times a
year, capt Michael Schnell estimated.
It happens perhaps weekly on Interstate
64 near Frankfort, Trooper Glenn Watton
said.
The reasons? "Drunk driving and drugs
wou ld lop the list," Watton said.
Confused or disoriented by factors such
as alcohol and drug abuse, bad weather, old
age or simply being lost. drivers Ignore
multiple sJgns and painted pavement, and
take exit ramps onto the wrong side of the
highway.
For a few, the mistake Is fatal.
Before Saturday's bus disaster near car-
rollton, In which 27 died, about a doun
highway deaths In Kentucky and Southern
Indiana since 1980 had been blamed on col-
lisions Involving cars going the wrong way
on expressways, according to newspaper
mes and police.
Many drivers quickly realize their error
and correct II, usually backing oil the ramp
before reaching the expressway's driving
lanes. said capt. John Lite, a spokesman for
the stale police.
Alt Kentucky e:rp"""8y Interchanges
are thoroughly marked In accordance with
the Manual of Uniform Tralllc Control De-
vices. said Bill Monhollon, U>ulsvllte dis-
trict engineer with the state Department of
TraosportaHon.
Moohotlnn said the I-71 exit ramps at
Campbettsbu11 and Pendleton - the next
Interchanges south of Carrollton, where he
believes Larry W. Mahoney probably got on
heading In the wrong direction Saturday
night - are correctly marked with six signs
each: two each reading "One Way," "Do
Not Enter" aod "Wrong Way."
Mahoney, of Owen County, drove his
pickup Into the church bus, and bas been
charged with murder.
Monhollon said both Interchanges are the
simple "diamond" type customary ouislde
urban areas. wllh retatlvety straight, sepa-
rate entrance and exU ramps In each dlrec·
tlon.
He acknowledged that this type of Inter-
change, In which ramps to and from the
expressway meet the Intersecting road at
roughly a right angle, Is potentially more
contusing than the urban "cloverleaf,"
which requires an extremely sharp tum to
enter In the wrong direction.
However, be said the manual's recom-
mendations for signs are adequate and a~e
STN=F PHOTO BY ICWo£L HA't'W.N
.
observed In all 50 slates.
Here are some Ups from police on stay-
Ing out of trouble on the expressway:
a u you see someone coming at you on
the wrong side, slow down, pull Into the
emergency lane If possible, and stop.
Put on your Dashers and tap your brake
llghis to warn drivers behind you.
II you can't get oil the road, lake what-
ever evasive action Is possible. Swerve to
the right, hoping the oncoming driver -
thinking he Is on a two-lane highway - wilt
veer the opposite way.
If an accident ls Inevitable, consider
driving oft the road rather than facing a
bead-on collision. Head-on crashes often
are fatal.
"That's the absolute wors~" Schnell said.
"Take the median, lake the guardral~ lake
the creek bank; whatever you have to do."
• To make sure you're beaded In the
right dlrectloo, check the yellow stripe on
the road , which separates opposing taoes; tt
always should be on your teh. If there's a
yellow line to your right, you're In trouble.
au you realize you're headed the wrong
way, stop and gel out of the way of tralllc
Immediately. If you're closer to the median
than the emergency lane, pull Into the me-.
dlan. Turn on your headlights aod emergen-
cy nashers.
In rural areas, state police advise that
you wait until the road Is clear ..:. with no
vehicle In sight, no matter how distant -
then quickly turn back on the side you're
on. Don't try to cross the median.
On busy urban highways, Schoell advises
waiting for the police. "You want those blue
~ts and flares while you're turning," he
HOW TO HELP
Bank establishes
fund for families
An Elizabethtown bank has
established a fund to help the
families or those who died or
were Injured In Saturday's bus
crash.
Renee Young, manager of
Republic Savings Bank, said lhe
bank started the fund yesterday
with $500 and Is seeking more
donations.
She said people who wish to
contribute should send checks to
the bank al 502 W. Dixie Ave.,
Elizabethtown, Ky., 42701.
Checks should be made payable
lo lhe First Assembly of God.
 T>if CCU!!"R JOURNAL, ~ JE&JAY MA 7 1988 A9
A FIERY TRAGEDY

Accident again raises

many questions about
safety of school buses
Co~Unued ln,m Page Ooe require tbat the wtndoft 1111d frames puab
out to provide an emeraency escape, but
ty or Nortll c:aroUna. survivOB said Ibey collldn1 push wt the
wtodows Saturday nlgbl
ID !act, more people were tilled lo Satur-
days cra,11 than died In all scllool butes Klll8, the counsel for Sheller Gklbe,
naUoowtde to 1988. wouJd DOI d.llcusl Ille alety features ol the
bus wttbout knowing Ill exact model.
No child bu died ID • Kentucky scboot
bus since a 1958 accident that tllled 27 peo-
ple In Floyd County, said Jim Para, llpOk.., • Stat beltl. Condltlool oo the bus bave
man tor the llate Deportment or Educauoo. become part or a natlooal debate over
whether ICbool b.,.. oqbt to bave _,
But Watter said many or the lactora !bat
account ror the safety or school buses - belll.One_..,,
ts tbat belts mlabt bave
Ibey tend to travel at tow speed, durlllg kepttbe-trombebl&tblOWll,at- STAFF PHOTO BY lr.lCHAEL HAYMAN
lowtng a more orderly eocape; anotller oays Hardin Principal Ray Story talkld wl1h atudtnt Allen Tannt-,, a mlnlater'a aon who WII aboard Ina wrecked bu1.
dayll8bt and on weekdays - were not true belts mlabt bave delayed aome cbUdren'1
-
when the cburcb bua beadlOI aoutb on lo- escape.
teratate 71 colllded bead-on with a pickup
truct.
Here's a took at 10me or the ,pec1a1 ra.,.
tora Involved In tile crasb:
1be NaUooat lll8bwaJ Tnlllc Safety Ad-
minlltratloo. Wblcb llell "81111tlool lor mo-
tor veblctes, bu no llaDdard or guldellne
lor boW qlllckly a bu1 11 suJJl)OIOd to be
Grieving classmates were 'just crying'
evacuated, said Ralpb Hltdlcocl, director By DAVID GOETZ and DAVID CAZARES
• Fuel tank. Tbe bus was not equipped ol the office ol veblctesatety lllDdardl. Statt Wr1ters
wltll a metal cage S11rrouodlD1 Ill gas tank,
aatd Joseph Nall, a member or the NaUonal RADCLIFF, Ky. - Nobody played ba>
Transportation Safety Board, wbtcb ts In· • Seat cusbtoos. Flammable seat cusb· tetball before class yesterday on the cou.rt
Ions may bave contributed to the fin, aod outside Radcllrr Middle SCbool. tn the halts,
vesttptiOI the accident prnduced toslc IUmea tllaJ helped tJU aome
tbe children were quiet
Federal ,....tatioos reqlllre ICboot bl19el _,,,.,., ICCOl'dtOI to critics of federal A girl sobbed In a stairwell; another,
wltll ctwsll.made after April I, 1977, to rquJat!oos. head down, walked down the ball, wrapped
bave 811~cqes and to UN metal - nlber "tllm wowd ba,e 11een nowna to bani In the arm or a counselor.
!IM"l'llbber - plptDI lor all Ille! noes. lftbat loul weren1 tbere," said WUtlam "Basically, we're not talking." sald
Nall eoutd not ay wbetber the bus 111- Balnbrldlt, a former ICboot supertoteodellt elgbtb,grader Anita Ardlsson. "We're Just
voIVed In Sahlrda)"s accident was buUt be- and preslcleat of a Colllmbul, Olllo, re- crying."
lore the rules toot effect. · Except for the ramllles of the dead, per-
- llrm. haps oo one In Radcliff lost as much In
The Radcllrt bus was reptered bJ Iba Federal replaJloos require - - Saturday's fie ry crash ot a First Assembly
Meade County schools May 12, 1877, ..,. tobaveNIICUlbloaltbatareullame- of God church bus as the students at Rad-
&fSllOI that Ill cballlJ was bUUt before ratslaot a tboee reqlllred tor cara. But cliff Middle School.
April I that year. Sam Cote, a alety olltcer wltll the Center Slrteen of their frie nds and classmates
for Auto Safety, said the ClllblOOI In can left school Friday afternoon and didn't
Neither or the companies that manufao. "burn It.lie a paper towel•
tured the bus could aay yesterday Wbetber come back Monday morning. Thirteen of
ll was bulll before or after the new rules. Cole also said tile llllldardl lor CUlblOIII them were In the eighth grade.
In butel sbould be blgber because It tuea "Sometimes you have to look to your
"I coutdo1 speculate about wbat specillcs looger to evacuate. friends and the Lord ror comfort• said
llllgbt apply to Ibis bus unW we koow tbe Radcliff Principal Charlie Jones, his voice
date of manufacture," !8ld Larry Klll8, cor- SUrvlvora reported seetna bumhlc -11 buzzing over the Intercom. "We're going to
porate coumel for Sheller Globe Corp., Su- 1111d said tlle bUI ftlled wltll lmolle tbat talk about It and use our reeling;. Let's
perior's parent company. SUpertor ,topped IIDOlled limllar to bumhlc rubber. make Ibis dny as happy and memorable as
mskJDi b.... In 1981. However, Hltcbcock, the federal olllclal, possible. Our friends are gone; we must
• SUrvlvon of Saturday"s crasb said the said tbe llammabWty llandard for bus work and remember them. But let's make
tire appeared to start oo tbe lroot rtpt side ~ 11 "lalrty llrlaaent" and bas DOI sure, today, we take care of the living."
« tile bus, wbere the Ille! taolt WIS located. been a problem In prevlolll aa:ldealL How· A few miles away at North Hardin Coun-
ever, be said, "Wben you get poollne 111- ty 81gb SChool. lbe toll was lour. Among
Nall said tllere was a tbree-tncb psb on volved, 11'1 JIIII a dlllereat ball pme." them were some of Johnny Sweet's friends.
the l'ront side or the laDk. Tbe Impact of the "It's sad," said !be IS-year-old Junior. "So
crasb puabed the taolt beck 26 lncbes and Nall aid blood from _ . . tJUed In tbe many gone at one time.'"
ortoneoltbe two straps tbalsecured ltto crasb will be tellad lor tollc cbemlcalL His clas.wates were quiet as they en-
the underside ot the bus. Anotberi.ueralledb)'tlleacc1cleotll tered the building. A teacher wbo stood out-
The lllel-lank rule was part ol tile ooly tllelackolreawat1oaorlmpeclloolln1Coo- side said that althougb classes were sched-
comprehensive peckage ot ~tloos ever tucky ol old lcbool butel tbat bave pead uled she would do whatever the students
Imposed on school busea Other rules re- Into private bandL MOIi mtea do DOI bave wanted to do. "U Ibey want to talk, we'll
quired slroOIOr rooll and body Joints, u IUcblnspectloaL talk."
well u laller seall wttb betler padding. Kay Sharon, di rector or community rela-
Ill Kentucky, tbm are random tnapec, tions ror the Hardin County school system.
Tbe Improvements have made buses Hoos by state officials, but there Is no aatd odmlnlstnllors decided Sunday !bat ii
safer, the National TJ'&IIS()Ortatlon Safety scheduled lospectloo program. would be more belp!ul to the students not
Board found In a study last year. Tbe study ''Tbere's never been very mucb request to cancel yesterday's classa "We felt lhat
analyzed 43 crashes between 1983 and 1986 for It as far as l koow," said Steve Reeder, they needed an opportunity to expre$ their
Involving buses with the estra safety fea- general coumel tor the state Transportatloo grlel andlbelrleellngs,"shesald.
tures, and found tbat less tbao 4 percent of Depertmeol Radcllrr sevenlb-grader Ttrlany Bennell
the p&.,seOIOra were burl ,ertousty, said agreed wllb that decision, saying that com-
Ted Lopalklewta, a spokesman Cor the However, Nall said the aalety boerd Is Ing to school means "everybody can race It,
board. concerned about the lack ot standards lor rather than keep It Inside."
butel that were built before 1977 and are Radcllll leacber Pal McKinney said she
• Crowding. It was unclear yesterday oow privately operated. And be said tbe would tell her students to abandon their a.,.
whether the bus was carrytDI more people boerd mlgbt mue recommendations oo tbe signed desks and sll where they liked, to fill
than permitted. Police reported that there S11bject. tbe empty places In their classroom.
were 66 passeOIOn on the bus, and Wltbolt Having lost 16 or their classmates, many
aald the Jellerson County schools cooslder owned, Calllomta bas been lnspect!DI privately
former school buses since 1985, aid children In the school of 700 were crying In
that nsure the bus's capacity. C.S. AlleD, collllllllllder or tbe motor carrier classes, studen!S said.
But survlvon told of severe Cn>WdlOI aectloa for the llate Hllbway Patrol. lo- Ten or the deed were In !he elghlb,grade
that rorced some people to sit pertly In tbe specton cllect on maintenance 1111d repaln band, clBS11male Christle Rill said. "We lost
aisle; survtvon also told of al least two peo, of every old school bUI In the llate once our first chair trumpet, first chair saxo-
pie wbo were steeplOI In the aisle - wblcb every 13 mootbs, Allen said. phone, first chair clari net and some or our
ts Just under one loot wtde - at the time of frenchhorM,"tbeseventhgradersald.
the accident.
Altbougb the program II considered pri- She said the rehearsal room seemed
marily educational, be said the Rl3bway empty yesterday and the band director
Nall said lovestlgators would eumlne Patrol bas lodged court cues aptmt sever- spent the class period sharing his memories
wbetber II Is realistic to expect three peo- al organizations with persistent violations. or each or the dead students.
ple or hlgb school age or older to sit In one Calltomla expended Its regutaUons to Anita Ardlsson talked about her fnend
of the bus's seats. cover any bus on wblcb students are tram- and elgblb·grade clllSllmale. Amy Wb..,.
With fire blocking lbe ln,nt door, pesaen- ported for a school acUvlty aner a 1978 lock, who was one of those believed to have
gers beaded toward t.be rear emergency accident tilled 29 people near Martinez, been tllled.
exit That's tbe only emergency door on Calli. "Today we were going to come to school
Jellerson County's buses of the same mod- In the same ouUi~ we weren't going to curl
el, WIihoit said. The maintenance of the Radcliff bus does our hair, th ings like that," she said.
not appear to bave been a !actor In tbe Amy, who was a cheerleader, had rtnany
He said state sped!lcaUoos tor the b.... death toll Saturday nlgbl teamed Ibo n,und-off back-111ck, e tumbling
maneuver, Anita said.
"I never got to see IL She was always
afraid to do It - arratd she'd hurt henell."
Fort Knox, fellow minister Food service director Corine Boyd said
she had avoided talkJng about the acciden t

help church officials handle '"----~---'-""--~-'-'-~"-'-""'""'""'-i,sr;,, , "'

.,.,.,,,,.,=,ao.ia;;;- """"'
, ... ,;.::.,
= ,-5...f:c,"""
d
and the young faces she would no longer
see In the Radcltrf cafeteria line.
"If I talt about It. I'm afraid f'II Jose It,

flood of news-media requests
By DAVID CAZARES
StalfWrtter
RADCL!FF, Ky, - As Ibey tried to coun-
sel and comrort the ramtues wbo toot loved
ooes to Saturday ol3bl's bus acclden~ mem-
ben or the Radcttrr Flnt Asoembly or God
church laced aootber problem Sonday and
yesterday.
More than a dozen reporten l'rom Ken-
tvcky and around t.be country descended on
Radcliff, deluging church olllclals wltb re-
?~{~~n~:;:tion on vlctlms and 811rvl·
Among the media vllillon were lelevlslon
crews from ABC. NBC and Coble News Net-
work and reporters from out-of-state new.
pepen sucb as The Wall Street Journal,
The Washington Pos~ the Miami Herald
and the Los Angeles Times.
After cburcb olllclals ,aid Ibey were
""'mped by oew,.medla requestL Ibey Sol
5l>me help ln>m nearby Fori Knox, wlllcb
set up a press center at the cburcb.
J:,8J;J~b~~:rii~a1."°~J!.lb:
A pair ot Radcliff Mlddlo School atuclent,, above, hugged and l0llbod In a
halway yoa-y. Solow, counselor Marilyn Ardl11on, loft, holpod Pat McKJ,.,.y,
a-
belp out any way we can. It's ooe less thing
for the cburcb to worry about•
Eagles aald Fort Koos olllclals bave been
In touch with cburcb leaden llnce the acci-
dent and are betplDI because the post Is
part of the community. "It's DOI us and
them,• be saJd. "It's JIIII us."
Tbe Rev. Kenneth Domstmm, pe,tor ol
the Calvary Aaembly ot God cbun:b In
El!Jlbetbtown, also - at the cburcb to
lalk to reporien. Damltrom aid be wanted
to help baodle the media attentloo so that
mlnlsten of the Radcllll cburcb could
coumel their memben.
"Those affected baven'I spent a wbole lot
ot Ume tblnklOI about I~" be said. "They
just want to be alone."
Kay Sbaroo, director ot community reta-
tioos lor the Hardin County ICbool system,
said she bad expected the televlsloo crews
but,.... S11rpriled at the number o r _ .
pen that sent reporten.
Tboqb sbe ,aid tbe reporten bad been
cooperative and bad caused no problems
lor the ICbOOI system, Ille added, "lt'I been
quite. day." .,
••• 1\o
ol Nvoral ol tho ctoad 1tudont1, tolk tn""'9h tho tragedy.
and l don't want to, because or the chll-
dren," she said. "You try so hord to be
:~:~· :0:'.':;
:~::n~:~Je_walcb It , , ," Sbe
, , . . , - - - - - - -------:-:,,,...,---,-,,..-,,...,..,-,=, Boyd said neW!ol the crash brought back
memories of a storm that kllled several of
her classmates when she was a girl In
Lellcbrteld, Ky., during the J9l0s.
"It's strange how your mind can go back
and pick up thlng5 you think you 've forgot·
ten." she said. "There was one little boy
tbat I bad rorgollen. He was killed. And r
can remember the reacher - Just standing
there crying. He was always so emoUonal."
North Hardin Principal Ray Slory said he
was proud of the way bis students bandied
tbelrleellngs.
"The 11"1 couple of class periods Uwas
very quiet Maybe we were all In shock," he
said. "Bui as we got further Into the school
day It appeared we were getting back to
normal."
The school system sent counselors and
additional start to both schools. Ten came
to Radcll rr. Tbrougbout !he morning, they
walked lhe balls with children who !en
their classrooms In tears. SomeUmes they
strolled outside In the sun .
..There were so many of my friends."
said Nate Reese, an eighth -grader. "We left
school Friday and they were all here. Now
It's mostly depend on )(Ollr friends, cry and
get It all out•
c-
A 10 NAL T
'Typical' man had previous brushes with the law
Continued from Poge One where." said Wayne Yeary of Worthville,
who works with Mahoney at a Carrollton
being a drunk all the time, no - he defl- chemical plant
nllely was not that," said a longtJrne ac- Larry Wayne Mahoney Is the second of
quaintance, Dwight Hamilton of Wheatley four children of John Noble Mahoney and
In nelghbort113 Owen County.
Mary Mahoney, both about 60, who Uve
"But he was the type of guy who, when with their younger son, Charlie Mahoney, In
he drank some, be drank quite a bit . .• A a plain aluminum-siding home on a gravel
101 or people do Iba~" Hamilton said.
Hamilton was one of several people who road.
mentioned the drtnklng but expressed sym-
pathy ror Mahoney, who ls expected to sur-
vive the Injuries he sutrered In the wreck.
"! feet sorry for him," said Margie Eng-
l311d of Wheatley. " It's Just a trogedy alt the
way around,"
1
'He's done some things be shouldn't
bave, and so have I," said Tom Butcher, a
neighbor and longtime acquaintance who
ltves between Wheatley and Moxley.
.,Let he who is without sin cast the firm:
Slone,'' Butcher said. "As far as saying
something bad about him, I'm not going to
do It."
Hamilton said he Is bewildered by the
circumstances ot the crasb., In wtlicb Ma-
bOney·s IJ1lck was headed north In the
southbound lanes of Interstate 71 near car-
roltton.
1'From what happened, I can't figu re It
G11~ because he was Just a super-nice guy,''
Jlamllton said.
" You couldo't find a better old boy any-
Truck driver
charged with
murder of 27
Continued from Page One
or them, be said, Is engaging In conduct In a
public place "at great risk of death to a
number of people."
Ackman, who ls commonwealth's attor-
ney tor a district that Includes Grant. Owen
and Carroll counties, said he has never
tried a capllal murder case Involving a trat'·
fie accident Bui be said he believes that
capital charges In such cases are not un-
precedented.
A$lstant Attorney General Penny War-
ren said no one In recent Kentucky history
has been sentenced to death In a vehlcular-
homlclde case.
Mahoney was at Humana Hospital-Uni·
verslty of Loutsvttte yesterday with bead
and chest lnjurtes. His condition was up-
graded from critical to sertous.
Authorities said bls Improvement allowed
him to be Interviewed brleny yesterday
morning by the state trooper overseeing the
investigation. They would not provide de-
tails of the Interview.
Mahoney ..as arrested at the hospital
yesterday afternoon, Ackman said, and
placed under guard by state police, based
on an order from Carroll District Judge
Stan BIiiingsiy.
Aher Mahoney reeovers, he will be
moved to a prison unit at the hospital, said
state police Capt Neal Brtttaln.
He said samples of Mahoney's blood -
taken about I a.m. Sunday, roughly two
hours after the accident, showed an alcohol
level of 0.24 percent. In Kentucky, a person
Is legally presumed to be ln1oxlcated with a
blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent, Brittain
said.
Brittain said authorities have not com-
pleted tests to delennlne whether Mahoney
bad other drupln hlssys1em.
Neither Brillaln nor Ackman would dls-
olose what they know about Mahoney's ac-
tivities before the crash, or bow be came to
be driving the wrong way on 1-71.
Brittain said no "piecemeal informatlon"
would be released until the Investigation Is
complete.
Confusion persisted yesterday over re-
ports tbal Mahoney had been drag racing
with a motorcycle before the accident At
least three teen-agers on the bus have said
that they saw a motorcycle traveling the
wrong way on the Interstate about the time
of the crash. But Investigators have been
unable to substantiate reports of the motor-
cycle, Brittain said.
Representatives of the National Trans-
po!'tation 5afety Board, who arrived In Cer-
rollton Sunday evening, briefed reporters
1851 night on their Investigation. Much of
the Information supports details already re-
leased by suite police and other authorttles.
but much remains unknown.
NTSB member Joseph Nall said last night
that Mahoney refused yesterday to be inter-
viewed by the agency's Investigators "tor
reasons that are hls own," But he said In-
vestigators are talking with members of
Mahoney's family and his work supervisor.
Nall would not disclose Information from
those lnrervle\VS. And he said the investiga-
tors still haven't concluded why Mahoney
was driving down the wrong side of the in-
terstate.
He said Investigators also have Inter-
viewed some bus passengers, but wouldn't
give details.
Nall said their study of the accident
scene showed "some shadow marks" on the
highway before the point of lmpac~ Indicat-
ing "some braking" of vehicles, but that It
hasn't been detennlned exactly what hap-
pened. ,------------------~
Stale Fire Marshal BIii Martin, whose of-
fice ls Investigating the cause of the fire on
the bus. said yesterday morning that he
found "a2- to3-lnchsllce"lnthegastank.
State police trooper Jim Mudd said he
thought the tank held67gatlons.butdldnol
know bow much gas was In It at the time of
the accident.
"The Impact of the vehicles evidently
caused It (the lank) to erupt." Mudd said."
George Nichols. lhe state's chief medical
~~~;~;e;ho.:~ th~~.i:,1n2a;1~~u:~r~~t~~ '--S-ha_nn_o_n.,,_ra_ir_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____J 6-year-old son had trouble sleeping Sunday
;DAV MA l7 988
A FIERY TRAGEDY
bOney swore out a warrant for her er-but- 1984, and be was promoted to production Carroll County, bis brother and Mefford
bond, charging him with terroristic threat- operator a year later, according to John said. Mefford said Mahoney and his second
ening and disorderly conducl Way, personnel manager there. wife have not filed for a divorce.
The criminal complaint charged that he ,.;~He's been a I!'°"
employee for us." Way Asked If his brother bad undergone some
changes recently, Charlie Mahoney said,
told her be would "use •.. on her , • , a
large pocket knife he was then holding In Mahoney ls in a group of employees who "He always seemed the same."
Larry Mahoney's preference In vehicles
bis band." that be threatened to "use the work 12-hour shifts three days In a row and
knife" on her boyfriend and any police offi- then have three days off. He last worked at bas not changed.
the plant from 7 p.m. Frtday until 7 a.m. In Aprtl 1987, he traded In a 1984 Dodge
cer who tried to serve him with an arrest
The Mahoneys also have two daughters, warrant. and that he yelled at her after Saturday, about 16 bou11 before the crash. Ram pickup with 44,000 miles on the odom-
Maboney's close friend, Dennis Mefford eter tor a 1987 Toyota tour-wbeel<lrlve
who also live In Owen county. Larry Ma· beating on the door of her apartmeot In
honey lives nearby In Carroll County. Carrollton. of Worthville, said Mahoney, be and an- pickup. He paid $1,000 down on the $11,500
other man drank a six-pack of beer and ate veblcle and financed the rest. according to
Mahoney dropped out or Owen County The more serious charge of terroristic
a pizza tale Saturday anernoon at Mefford'• records at Owenton Toyota. ·
High School aner his freshman year aner tbreatenl113 was dismissed, but Mahoney
bome. Records show Mahoney Is llceased to Oi>'
makl113 poor grades. though be earned A's pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and
in conduct paid a $50 fine. He said Mahoney, who ten at about 8:30 erate a motorcycle. Mefford said Mahoney
p.m., drank no more than two beers. sold his cycle atter Mefford's brother-In·
A note on bis enrollment card Indicates He was again charged with disorderly
that be made 83, Just below the average conduct In December 1982, pleaded guilty "I couldn't believe the blood.. tcohot level Jaw, with whom the two often rode, was
would be that high," Mefford said, adding killed In a cycle wreck about two years ago.
ra1130, on an tntelllgence-quouent test In and paid a StOO fine.
1968. The complaint charged that Mahoney that bis friend bad told him that be had Motorcycles figure In the Investigation,
After leaving school, he alternated be- had been In a fight at a Carrottton pizza stopped drtnklng for two to three months because children on the bus have said they
tween working In Industry and betpl113 bis parlor and that when a police oltlcer ar- because of stomach problems. saw a cycle headed In the wrong direction
family on their small fann on a ridge above rived, the fight was over, but Mahoney However, when pressed, be acknowl- pass them Just before the collision.
the Kentucky River valley at Moxley in "was usl113 lout language." edged, "I've seen him drink quite a bll" Maboney's attachment to motorcycles
northwestern Owen County, Charlie Ma- Mabooey's name does not appear in While Mahoney bas bad a stable employ- may be Indicated by the photograph on bis
honey said. court records In Carroll and Owen counUes ment record for several years, bis personal driver's license, which state police dis-
In July 1972, Larry Mahoney married Ja- atter the drunken-driving case In 1984, and life appears to have become somewhat un- played yesterday.
nJce King of Worthville, a nearby communl· state Transportation Cabinet records show settled. In the photo, Mahoney Is weartng a base-
ty In Carroll County. That November, she that he has not been charged with any traf- Sometime In the early 1980s. be married ball-style cap bearing the logo of the Har-
had a child. fic offenses In Kentucky since. Betty Davis, who bore him a daughter, ac- ley-Davidson motorcycle company and the
The marriage ended In a divorce sought A few weeks after he paid the drunken- cordl113 to !rtends and relatives. words, "Ride Hard, Die Hard."
by Larry Mahoney In Deeember 1979. driving fine, Mahoney took a Job as a labor- But for the last month, Mahoney bas Information for thl1 1to,y 1110 w11 gathered
Less than three months later, Janice Ma· er at M & T Chemicals In Carrollton In June ttved with bis first wife and their son In by 1tatt writ..- Tom Loftus.
L-_....;;__,._,..;.;;;.;;;;;;;;:;:
One of the A11ambty of God's buses sat In the parking lot at the Radcliff church yesterday, a atark reminder of Saturday's tragedy.
ably
smokewould have survived
Inhalation.
caught fire.
He alsoIfsaid
the all
bus27
badprob-
not Crash shattered 1i·ves and dreams
of f:amill•es who IOSt Ioved ones
"There's no evidence In any of the 27
examinations tbat were performed of slg-
nlflcant physical Injury short of smoke In-
balation and post-monem name injury,"
Nichols said.
m!!t~:~ ;::~n:~~~~f~~::~i~~:~l~r~ Continued from Page One ;:it~~ with thanks, saying Williams was up and find his own family had died too.
The driver of the bus, John Pearmnn,
done 10 determine the composition of the terday, fellow soldiers, students In bis Sun, was ordained an MSemblles of God minis-
"Joy was the kind of person you could
deadly smoke that choked the 27 victims. <lay school class, and people who worshiped
always go to with anything." Jean Grtmes ter at the Evangel Christian Ure Center In
Nichols said most of the Interior of the with him at the church all grieved for wu.
said. "She would always bold you up. She Jerterson County just about a month ago,
bus - Including 1he padding for lhe seats Iiams. his uncle, Ed Fanner said yesterday.
was the solid one In our family, and a
- was consumed In the fire. "There was a Sgt. 1st Class Fergus Surgenor, who vis-
strong, Christian woman." II was a proud moment for Pearman, 37,
substantial amount of thermal Injury to the lied with Williams for five hours on Sunday,
"Jack - his name ls Lee, but we call him his wife, Dot, and their three children, all
Interior of the bus .. . so much so that the said It was "some talking, some listening.
Jack - can make you feel good. When faithful members of the Pentecostal church
majority of whatever was Inside, whether It mostly listening. sometimes Just bei ng there in Radcliff, Farmer said.
you're down and out, he'd have a Joke for
was clothes, personal effects or a sleeping Is Important" you. Now,hesald,tbe!amlly'sfalthlshetplng
bag ••. was consumed." "As far as fellow NCOs and friends, we're
"I Just hope people don't forget him. But them to cope with grief over Peannan's
~:~~
th death and the lnjurtes or bis 14-year.. ld
However, he said U was too early to say they won't"
:'t1~~nfn ~~r c~:';'.:/\~~:
whether the victims Inhaled toxic rumes. all of us." he said. "You get soldiers that
Another family devastated by the acci- daughter, Christy, who suffered cuts and
third-degree bums.
dent was the Conyers family of Vine Grove.
Asked whether any or lbe victims had run around and party, but wbeo be gets
Joshua, a freshman at North Hardin High "They're holding up great," said Farmer,
been sleeping In sleeping bags in the bus home bis family was his Ille." also a church member. "But I'd say It's due
aisle, Nichols said, " If there was someone School, was killed, and bis younger brother
Spec. Thaddeus Fura said, "In the bar-
Aaron, a seventh-grader at James T. Allon to their Christian strength."
sleeping at the Ume th is happened, they racks. everyone's in shock. He is always
Middle School, was crltlcally Injured.
somehow managed to get up and start mov- fair and looking out for us. He ln!Uated a Peannan was an associate pastor at the
ing." renovation In our day room, and be didn't
"Aaron's going to be hurt when he hears church and Hardin Circuit court clerk.
have to do that. about Josh. He really retied on his brother Fanner said the family has heard that
Meanwhile, authorities continued the pre>- Pearman grabbed a fire eXUnguisher and
cess of Identifying the bodies of the crash " A lot of the guys know he Is a true Chrts.
a lo~" said Chris Windle, a playmate and
attempted to fight the blaze while shouting
victims. The bus. with the victims stil l In- tlan, but now everyone does because be left
next-door neighbor,
at the youths to get off the bus. "In my
side, was moved from the accident scene a phone message with our Charge of Quar-
He said the two brothers played on the opinion, he Just gave up his Ille," he said.
early Sunday to the National Guard Ar· ters asking people who felt like It to pray
sa me baseball team, took karate cl8$e:S te>-
mory. for the other survivors. getber, often went fishing and challenged Fanner said Pearman's entire family
"And, mister, people did."
each other In basketball In their back yard. usually goes on the annual J{1ng,s Island
The victims, all of whom were severely Tilus said Wltttams was planning to retire trip, but this year, Pearman 's son, Robbie,
burned, were removed from the bus Sunday In six months to spend more time with hls
Amy Wheelock - who played trumpet In
had something else planned, so Dot Pear-
afternoon. Dental records provided by ram- family and In the chu rch. He ls a first ser-
the Radcttff Middle School's eighth.grade
Illes of those unaccounted for have been geant In the Medical Company at Fort
band, was a cheerleader and competed on
~~~r!~.yed home with the two younger
used since Suaday to Identify the bodies. the gymnastla and softball teams - also
Knox, responsible for the dally operations, Christy was listed In crttlcat condition In
was believed to have died In the crash.
Nichols oversaw the operation at the duty rosters and discipline ot the Ireland
makeshift morgue inside the armory. He Army Hospital, Su rgenor said. the bum unit at Humana Hospital-Universi-
"She was one of those people who bad ty of Louisville. Farmer said &he ls con-
said the names of the victims would not be Yesterday WUtlams 1rted to rest In his
everything going for her," said Michelle
released and the bodies would not be re- little brown brick home on Deering Lane In scious and has been able to communicate
Marlow, a seventh-grader. with her mother, but may not yet realize
turned to Radell!! until all had been Identi- Radcliff. Seven vehicles were parked In the
Michelle said the school bus rtde was dif-
fied. He said be hoped lhal would happen gravel drtveway, frtends and family Just be- her father and many friends are dead.
someUme today. ferent yesterday because the driver didn't Farmer's daughter, Kim. 16, also Is hospi-
Ing there. A delivery man brought two now-
stop to pick up eighth-grader Shannon Fair,
The Identification process. which Nichols er arrangements, but nothing to rival the talized at University In serious condition
another accident victim. "It was so bard to with first- and second-degree bums or her
said ls time-consuming, Is being conducted red Impatiens bls wife potted last week on
drive by her house and not stop," she said.
with the aid of the University of LoulsVltle the carpeted front steps to their home. face and arms. She Is conscious. but on a
School of Dentistry. Shannon, who was 1-1, was a member of
Sitting on those steps yesterday after- respirator because of lung damage and
Suthton Baptist Church, but bad several hasn't been able to talk to her family.
The bodies were being embalmed by a noon, his In-laws. Dale and Jean Grimes of
!rtends who ,Utended the First Assembly or
team of volunteer funeral directors. Illinois. turned away a steady stream of Another .relative, Cheryl Pearman, H,
God, according to Greg Qualls. youth min~ also was lnJured and Is In fair condition at
ler at the Baptlst church. Kosalr Children's Hospital. She Is the
He said Shannon bad Joined the church
only recently and was baptized on Easter :aufst:~oi:e/.ai~':rn~~a::n, John Pear-
Apparent victims of the bus crash Sunday. "She was beautiful and very lntem-
gent," Qualls said. Co~~~~an~ h;:r::;~I t~u~a:~!~ec~~
1
Authorities have not made positive Identifications of the 27 people killed In Cynthia Atherton, 13, was also a member ;::_ elected circuit court clerk last Novem-
Saturday night's bus crash. Here Is a partial list of people presumed dead: of the Baptist church, Qualls said. She was
an energetic girl who Just recently had her
braces removed. Flscal Court Maglslrate BIii Faulkner
Jennifer Arnett D. Fischle Amy Wheelock said Pearman's death Is a major blow Tbe
Cynthia Atherton Chuck Kytta Chad Witt Several of the dead girls had been volun-
teers at the nursery at the First Assembly two families were close and Faulkne; said
Joshua Conyers April Mills Joy Williams of God, said Fort Knox's Tilus.
Mary Daniels Tlna Mustain Kristen Willlams :nd~~~~~·soS::~~aio~!i::: Cheryl Pea'.-
TIius said one of the girls, Jennifer Ar-
Kashawn Etheredge John Pearman Robin Williams nett, was his family baby sitter. He said his "! spent the better part of yesterday c •
nlt',t;, because be was afraid he might wa'.ke ~i/~~ ;~~:bing my , wife and daughter
1
METRO EDITION, 58 PAGES,
UUtt <6ouritr-loumal
******* COPYRIGHT«> 1988, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVIU.E, KY., A GANNETT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY MAY 18, 1988. 35 CENTS

1---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _A_F1_eR_v_T_R_A_
oe_o_v_ _ _..______ _ _ _ _---1 Hepatitis cases
may bring new
Single exit food-handling
for 67 people rules in county
not enough, By GIDEON GIL
Staff Writer

police say Managers or Jefferson County's 2,600 res-

By SCOTT THURM
and LARRY BLEIBERG
Stan Writers
The 67 people on lbe bus lba1 burned In Car·
roll County Saturday night had only one emer-
gency exit - lbe back door - because Ken-
tucky, like most states. does not require school
buses to have addlUooal side, window or roof
exits.
Kentucky State Police believe Iba! add!Uonal
exits - such as push-out windows, wbJcb are
required In Indiana and West Vl'llnla - might
have saved lives when the bus was bit by a
pickup truck going lbe wrong way on Interstate
71 near carrollton.
"If they bad push-out windows, and Ibey
knew where they were, It would have pcmlbly
saVed lives," Trooper Jim Mudd said.
As II was, 27 people died, and most were
found piled In lbe narrow aisle In lbe middle of
the bus, wbere Ibey apparently bad struggled
to reach the rear door.
The state Educatlon Department lblrw add!·
Uonal exits. such as push-out windows, would
be "counterproductive," a spokesman said yes-
terday, because students would play wllb lbe
windows.
Also yesterday, state orrlclals said Iba! 1,219
buses - more than one-seventh of the buses
used by Kentucky scbools - were built In 1977
or earlier, before federal regulations required
additional safety features, sucb as a metal cage
pmtecllng lbe gas tank.
A punctured gas tank on lbe 1977 Superior
buslsconslderedaposslblecauseofSaturday's
fatal fire. NaUonal Transportation Safety
Board officials said yesterday that Ibey be-
lleved the bus's chassis was built by Ford In
taurants would be required to take a course
and pass a test In sanitation procedures un-
der a proposed ordinance Inspired by lbe
hepatlUs A epidemic earlier Ibis year.
Heallb lnvestlgators believe lbe epidemic,
which struck 216 people In February and
March and contributed to the death of one,
was caused by a contaminated shipment of
produce served In Loulsville-a.rea restau-
rants from Jan. 16 to 31.
Dr. David T. Allen. heallb director of lbe
Loulsvllle and Jefferson County Board of
Heallb, said yesterday Iba! lnvestlgators
have narrowed lbe cause or lbe epidemic ID
either iceberg lettuce or tomatoes.
Allen also discussed a list of 379 restau-
rnnts where hepaUUs victims said Ibey ate
during January. Restaurnnts named by five
or more people and 10 or more victims ap-
pear on shorter lists.
Allen emphaslz.ed that a restaurant's ap-
pearance on any of the lists merely means
that people ate lbere - It does not neces-
sarily mean the restaurant served contaJnl.
nated food and !bat people got sick lbere.
The Board of Heallb bas not done lbe statls-
Ucal analyses to make !bat determlnallon.
"It Is to a significant degree a reflection
of popularity of restaurnnts." Allen said.
some restaurants on the lists couid not
have served the contaminated produce. For
example, a downtown Louisville eatery
wbere 21 bepatlUs victims dined receives Its
produce from a Southern Indiana supplier
Iba! gets different truckloads of produce
!ban Loulsvllle supplier,. And lbe puce
supplied to some restaurant cbalns also
comes from suppliers outside of Louisville.
L-----:.:.....~~.........,..~~.....;..;~...,.-."""""'--..:...."--~-:"'"-__._ By the same token, restaurants mentioned
STAFF PHOTO av JAMES H WAU.ACE by very few people are not necessarily
Lany Cage ol the Flrot AaNmbly ol Qod church In RIdcllll comfoflad the mother of ona of 1he victims or 1ha bu, exempt from suspicion. Forty-two of the vlc-
dlanter, She wept aa ahe read a card placed on the flow«W at the church'• attar yesterday. tlms said Ibey did oot eat at any of lbe

~~c:r:~z. one month before the regulatlons , - - - - - - - - - - ,

Many or tbose 1,210 older buses are consid- OTHER STORIES
Hearses' grlill· J·ourney restaurants where five or more people ate.
Allbougb lbe epidemic Initially appeared
to be centered among people who ate lunch
ered spares and are not used dally by school f------------, In downtown Loulsvllle, beallb officials lat·
districts, according to Jim Parks, spokesman
for lbe
clals state Department
at several of Educatlon.
school districts O!fl,
said yesterday
Iba! Ibey restrict lbe pre-1978 buses to short
•In Athetribute
crash.toPages
those Awho
14,died
• The task or Identifying those
A 15. ends first sad chapter er realized that people wbo did not eat
downtown also got sick. That finding is re-
flected by lbe broad geogn,pblc distribution
of the restaurants on the lists. In tact. the
mutes, and don't use lbem to transport teams who died In 1he crash Is
and clubs. " probably the most dlfllcult By JUDY BRYANT That scene was repeated again and See HEPATITIS
But with onJy about 700 buses a year being one we've ever been Involved and TOM LOFTUS again until about 6 p.m .. when the last Back page, col. I, Ibis section
bought In lbe state, It will take at least two In,'' said David Jones of the Staff Wrtten of lbe victims was taken rrom the ar-
more years to retire all of tbe pre-1 978 buses. state medical examiner's office. mory, which bad served as a temporary
And many of them will remain on lbe blgh-

::; ~:a~~ =ra:::

ways for years longer, In tbe bands of church
~u:u!:et:~~=
Story, Page A 16.
• The Jefferson County Public
Schools have 65 buses similar
CARROLLTON, Ky. - The sleek,
~!~~i::"::a[;:,1: ~~~al~~~d /:;
before 2:30 p.m. yesterday, Its wbeels
morgue since the accident.
The procession began after authori-
ties finished ldentlfylng lbe victims and
released their names and ages.
Senate weighs
meat park near Cincinnati. Tbe trip was spon·
sored by the First Assembly of God churcb In
Radell!!, Ky.
to th e one th at burned, but
virtually all will be taken out 01
service when 1he school year
grinding on the gravel driveway.
After lbe driver exchanged a few
bushed words wllb officials outside, lbe
And as that nrst sad chapter In the
allermalb of lbe tragedy ended, resi-
dents of Radcliff, where most of the vie·
arms treaty;
A protectlve cage may have prevented major
damage when a Jerterson County school bus
was hit on Its right side, near lbe fuel tank, last
ends June 3· Slory, Page A 16·
• Friends, r~atlves and
acquaintances of Larry
hearsa disappeared Inside lbe armory
through a large rear door that was
shielded Imm view by a black plastic
llms lived, began preparing lbemselves
for the next one.
ONlclals there announced that a me-
ratification
monlb. The car !bat bit lbe bus was traveling
about 35 miles per hour, said Jim Engler, the
schools' assistant director or vehicle malnte-
Mahoney, the man charged
with murder in the crash, help
fill In the gaps on what he was
tarpaulin.
When the hearse emerged IO minutes
later, It carried lbe body or 14-year-old
mortal service will be held tomorrow,
"to release some of the tension and pain
that's in the whole community," In the
appears likely
doing several hours before 1he April Mills of Radcliff, one of lbe 27
see MORE crash. Story, Page A 17. victims or Saturday nlgbt's bus accident see HEARSES' By HELEN DEWAR
PAGE 16, col. I, Ibis section O tbe Washington Post
PAGE 17, col. I, Ibis section ~ - - - - - - - ~ on Interstate 71 near Carrollton.
WASHINGTON - The Senate opened de-

14 still hospitalized give thanks, get aid offers

bate on lbe blstorlc lntermedlate-rnnge Nu-
clear Forces Treaty yesterday witb expres-
sions of hope - but no guarnntee - Iba! It
will be approved before President Reagan
By DEBORAH YETTER for everybody." Calls and support for lbe les as Ibey tried to escape lbe fire !bat • The downtown Howard Johnson Ho- and Soviet leader Mlkball Gorbacbev meet
Staff Writer accident victims and their families have started at the front of the bus and swept tel bas offered free rooms and meals to In Moscow May 29.

~
poured In since the crash, which killed 27 toward the back after the bus was families of lbose In the hospital for as 1
Fourteen-year-old David Walliser sends members or a group returning to Radell!!, rnmmed head-on by a pickup truck going long as necessary, and Is providing them o:t!~ra~1 ~~.yea70::
this message from bis bed In lbe Kosalr Ky., from an outing to Kings Island the wrong way on Interstate 71. with van service to and from the hospital. months or palnslaklng ·
Children's Hospital bum unit: amusement park. Fourteen cblldren - Since tbe accident review by three Senate •
• Friends and classmates from the committees and a last·
"Thanks to all lbe doctors, thanks to all many In critical condition - remain hos- • Scores of people - most of them close-knit Hardin County community have 1
the nurses, thanks to everyone who cares.
Thanks for all the love and thanks for all
pltallzed, suffering Imm bums and respl-
rntory damage from smoke lnhalallon.
strnngers to tbe victims - have called
University bnspltal offering food, baby sit-
flooded lbe hospitals. hoping to visit or at
least check on their friends. Most can't
:.1:;~1:;'~~Ie ~o ~ ~ C::.. ,1
solve final bitches, !be / ·:-- ._
the prayers." All but one are at Humana Hospital- ting and even rooms In their homes to see their friends because they are In the
And, adds Kalby Walliser, mother of University of Louisvllle or Kosalr Chit· families with children In lbe hospital. Olb·
treaty made Its debut "=°"
on the Senate Ooor lo a
tbe victim of Saturday's cburcb bus crash, dren's. Eight are In critical condltlon. ers are calling with offers or cash, said see 14 VICTIMS low-key exchange of
" He's going to do his very best to get well Most suffered bums on lbelr upper bod- hospital spokeswoman Taylor Rice. PAGE 16, col. I, Ibis section blessings from leaders
or both parties. Byrd
The treaty, the first
!bat would eliminate an entire catagory of
nuclear weapons, requires that over the
Soviet rocket-fuel plant destroyed by explosion Trade deficit
drops sharply
next three years the superpowers scrap all
ground-launched mls511es with ranges of 300
to MOO miles under unprecedented require-
By NORMAN BLACK Ibis will delay Soviet solld·propel- than a dozen are believed to be occurred only nine days aner an ments for on-site vertncatlon ot compliance.
Associated Press lant mlsstle programs." operational. explosion destroyed one of two Record exports In March gave
the United States Its lowest Although It would cut U. S. and Soviet nu-
The Pavtograd plant, about 500 The SS-24 Is one of two mobile U. S. plants that make a crltlcal
WASHINGTON - A Soviet miles southwest ot Moscow In the monthly trade deficit In three clear ar5eoals by only 5 percent, It marts a
Intercontinental balllstlc missiles Ingredient for lbe solid rocket
mcket-!uel plant blew up last Ukraine, Is lbe only Soviet plant In the soviet arsenal. lbe other is tuel that powers the space shuttle years, shrinking to $9.7 billion "smnll but vitally Important" step toward
week and has been shut down, the
Pentagon said yesterday.
In a statement released after
where the main rocket motors for
the new SS-24 Intercontinental
ballistic mWlle are made, admin-
the SS-25, which ls carried on a
truck launcher.
The United States bas yet to de-
and several military rockets.
It also occurred Just 2 ½ weeks
before President Reagan and So-
:r:/~~~t.~7:r~~~~t
came from a 23 percent surge
far-reaching arms control, said Seo. Clai-
borne Pell, D-R. !., cbalrman of lbe Foreign
Relations Committee.
NBC News broadcast a story istration officials said yesterday. ploy any mobile long-rnnge nucle- vie! leader Mlkball Gorbachev In American exports, which Under lbe agreement. the Soviets will dls-
about the accident, the Pentagon Tbe SS-24 Is a large, IO-warhead ar missiles, although the Reagan are to begin a summit meeting In rose to an all-time high of S29 manlle 826 lntermedlote-rnnge and 926
said lbe May 12 explosion "de- weapon that can be Iaunehed admlnlstrntlon Is u'llng Congress Moscow !bat Is expected to focus billion. shorter-rnnge missiles, while lbe Unlted
stroyed severnl building,, at a So- from underground silos or rall to support the development of a Story In Bualneu,
viet propellant plant In Pavlo- car,. The Soviets began deploying mil launcher for the MX missile. see SOVIET PLANT back page, Section 8. See SENATE
grad," and added, " Apparently, It on raU cars last year. Fewer The accident at lbe Soviet plant Back page, col. I, Ibis sectlon ' - - - - - - - - ~ Back page, col. I, Ibis section

Balm for the sol

,.__ _ _ _ 95-1
eom1c, _ _ _ _ c 14, 1s
Ci111lfied 1d1 _ _ _ D 1·14
Dlalh,L - - - - - - 8 4
Ft1hl<el - - - -Blc1lonC
Food _ _ _ _ C 9, 10, 13
Racing reIutt, _ _ _ o t, 7
9port1 _ _ _ _ _ 01-7
TV, ,ad.,.,_____
• LoulIvlll1 area - Sunny today
n.
Dangerous and tomcxrow. Highs around
Clear tonlghl, w1tn a low ol S3.
• Kentucky - Sunny today and
skin drugs tom0frow, wtlh highs in the 701.
Clear tonight, wrth lows from the
upper 40s to mk,-505
Features, Page c 1
DetallI, Page 8 2
C2
A 14 Tl£ COUIIER OORr.Al MON, SOAY II.AV 18 '9Bll
Musical, athletic, artistic, bookish. The 24
young victim, of the Carrollton bu, crash were
enjoying that time In life when potential Is bud-
ding and anything aeems po11lble.
From bracas to "boom boxes," basketball and
ballet, from needlepoint to water-skiing, drama
and debate, a boundless range of Interests ani-
mated these faces.
With the Identification of bodies completed
yesterday, a memorial service for these stu-
dents and three of their adult chaperones was
scheduled for tomorrow at 7 p.m. (EDT) in the
stadium of North Hardin High School In Radcliff.
Here are the obituaries available yesterday -
with gllmpsas of the victims offered by the par-
ents, teachers, neighbor• and friends who knew
them best and know so well the promise that
was broken on Interstate 71.
JennHer Ann Amell
13 y11ra old
Jennifer Ann was an
t~~~~~~~·s~:d;~~
In the band and was
gaining a reputation es
an excellent trumpeter.
She also was known as
a i~v';:~~~~ her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Laonard Arnett of
Radcliff; a siste<,
Rebecca N. Arnett al
Radcliff; grandparents.
Waite< and Louisa Bell of
Radcliff and Mr. and Mrs.
MOfrlS Arnett of
Elizabethtown; and a
t:f~n=~- Ina
Jennifer Ann's funeral
will be at 2 p.m. Saturday
at the Radcliff First
Assembly of God. She
will be burled In North
Hardin Memorial Gardens
In Radcliff. Visitation at
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
will be from noon to 5
p.m. Thursday end from
10 e.m. to 9 p.m. Friday,
and at the church efte<
10 e.m. Saturday.
Cynthia Anno Atheflon
13 years old
Cynthia Anne was a
membe< of Stlthton
Baptist Church In Radcliff
~~~~ ~:~i:af'
She was en energetic girl
who recentty had her
braces removed.
Survivors include her
~:=~~~ ~:i.~~frabble
sister, Wendy Atherton of
Radcliff: grandparents,
Mr. end Mrs. WIiiiam R.
MIiier and Dorothy A.
Cock, ell of Central City;
great-grandparents,
Oeutah M. Devina, GOfah
Atherton end Pearlie M.
Gossett, all of Central
C,ty.
Her funeral will be at
11 a.m. Friday at Tucker
Funeral Home In Central
City, wrth burial in Rose
Hill Cemetery there.
Visitatk>n will be after 6
p.m. today, from 9 e.m.
to 2 p.m. tomorrow, and
after 9 e.m. Friday.
Sandy Brewer
12 y11ra okl
Sandy was a seventh-
=_ai~::i:.,
baseball and had a
Middle
contagious, cheerful
personality.
Obituary Information
was not available.
Northslde-Proffltt
Funeral Home In
Bardstown Is In charge of
arrangements.
Jo1hu1 Conyers
14 years old
Joshua, of Vine Grove,
was a ninth-grader at
NOftti Hardin High Schoot.
He enjoyed karate, fishing
and playing basketball
with his little brother. He
was looklng forward to
college.
Obituary lnfa,metlon
was not available.
A younger brother,
Aaron, was Injured and
was in critical condition
yesterday at Kosair
Children's Hospltal in
Louisville.
Mary Catheryn 01nlel1
14 )'Hf'I old
Mary was an eighth-
grade honors student at
RadcUff Middle Schoot.
She loved needlepoint and
water-skiing. She never
missed Mass.
Survivors include her
mother. Diane E. Daniels
of Aadchff; her father.
James R. Daniels of
Radcliff; a sister,
Elizebeth A. Daniels of
Raclciitt: and
grandparents, Ralph and
Elizabeth Weigle of
Wilmington. N. C., and
Catheryn H. Daniels of
Erle, Pa.
Mary's funeral Masswm
be at 10 a,m. tomorrow at
St. Christopher Catholic
Church In Aadcllff with
burial In North Hardin
Memorial Gardens.
Visitation will be at the
church from 5 to 9 p.m.
today
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home in Radclltf
Is In charge.
A FIERY TRAGEDY: THE VICTIMS
Julle Ann was a
seventh-grader at Radcliff
Middle Schoot and
enjoyed curling up at
home with a good book.
Her family moved to
Radcllff this yoar from
Germany, where Julie Ann
was an outstanding
stuclent wtth a 4.0 grade-
point average.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Ronald Earnest of
Radcliff; a brother,
Michael Eemest al
Radcliff; and grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Smith
of Texas.
A graveside servk:e will
be held et 10 e.m.
tomorrow in North Hardin
Memorial Gardens In
Radclltt. There will be no
visitation. Nelson-Edelen-
Bennett Funeral Home in
Radclltt Is In charge of
arrangements.
K11h1wn Etheredge
14 years otd
Kashawn was an
~hth-grader at Radcliff
Middle School and was
developing shooting and
ball-handling skills on the
girls' basketball teem . She
was a member of Ffrst
Baptist Church of
Elizabethtown.
Suvivors Include her
parents, Cortez Jr. and
Queen Etheredge, of
Radcliff; a brother, Cortez
S. Etheredge; end greet-
grandmothers, Rosa
Mackle of North Augusta,
S. C., and Allena Mobley
of Trenton, S. C.
Her funeral will be 2
p.m. Saturday at First
Baptist Church or
Elrzabethtown with burial
In North Hardin Memorial
Gardens. Visitation will be
at Percell Funeral Home
ln Elizabethtown from
noon to 9 p.m. Friday.
Shannon Rae Fair
14 years old
Shannon was an eighth-
grade honors student at
Radcliff Middle School In
the gifted/talented class.
She was baptized last
Easter Sunday and was a
member of Stithton
Baptist Church.
Survivor!; include her
parents, Lt. Cot and Mrs.
Lawrence A. Fair of
Radchtf; a brother, Donald
A. Fair of Radcliff; and
grandparents. Mr. and
Mrs. Theodore Mulhns
and Hazel Fair, all of
Johnson City, Tenn.
Shannon's funeral will
be at 10 a.m. Saturday at
Morris Baker Funeral
Home In Johnson City
with burial In Monte Vista
Cemetery there.
The famfly requests that
expressions of sympathy
0 0
i~r~ 8:nt~ ~ ~~~~ 1:
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
1 1
Funeral Home In Radcliff
is In charge.
Dwollla Fischel
12 years old
Owailla, a seventh-
t':::,."~~:~c:~e~~~~
a debater and a nominee
for the President's Award
In Academics. She was a
nellve of Fort RIiey, Kan.,
and was in the drama
club end L.I.F.E. Youth
group at the First
Assembly of God.
Survivors include her
parents, Brent Lee and
Vickie Fischel of Redctilf;
a sister, Erin Fischel of
Denver, Colo.; two
brothers, Lee end Sammy
Fischel, both of Redclilf;
a stepbrother, Jason
Parrent of Ellzabelhtown;
grandparents . Roy Givan
of Elizabethtown and
Joan Fischel end Joseph
Flschel, both of Denver,
and a great-great-
grandmother, Ella Coulter
of Denver.
Dwallla 's funeral will be
at 7 p.m. Friday et the
Radclllf First Assembly of
God. Visitation will be el
the church from 1 to 7
p.m. Friday with burial In
Denver, Coto.
Brown Funeral Home
In Elizabethtown Is In
charge of arrangements.
Lon Kathleen Holzer
11 years old
Lori was a sixth-grader
et Radcliff Middle School.
Her mother remembers
seeing her fa, the test
lime " bopping" down the
street barefoot with a
"boom box." When her
soldier father was
stationed In Stuttgart, W.
Germany, Lori danced In
a children's ballet
company.
Survivors Include her
father, Franz Holzer of
Fort Knox; her mother,
Debbie Dame of Radcliff;
a brother, Tommy Holzer
of Radcliff: grandparents,
Melvin and Helene
Howard of Highland,
N. Y•• and Joe end
Mercedes Holzer of Hyde
Perk, N. Y.
The body will be
cremated ; there will be
no visitation. A memorial
servlca for Lori will be
held at 7 p.m. Friday at
Disney Chapel, Fort
Knox .
Kytte, al Elizabethtown,
was a loan officer at
Citizens Fidelity Bank &
Trust In Elizabethtown.
~i~;t~~ ~u~:~~~ ~~~h
1
~~~~g;,bl~i w~~an Air
Force veteran who
served in the Vietnam
Richard Keith Gohn War.
19 yaora old Kytta organized the trip
Richard was a senk>r to Kings Island. Young
people et his church
et North Hardin High
Schoel. He was en Ideal
student, his teachers
fondly called him
" Banana" because they
said, because he worked said his name sounded
hard and wanted to learn. like " Chiquita" of
Survivors Include hls Chiquita banana fame.
mother and stepfather, Survivors Include his
Rosemary A. end Richard wife, the former Janet
L. Martinez of Radcliff; Coleman; a son, Charles
his father, WIiiiam R. Kytta of Elizabethtown; a
Gohn of Hollidaysburg, daughter. Mendy Kytta al
Pa.: end grandparents, Elizabethtown; his
Leo end Mary Moses of parents. John and Lucy
Cresson, Pa. and Wilma Kytta of Redtown, Ohio;
A. Gohn of Johnstown, two brothers, James E.
Pe. Kytta of Columbus, Ohio,
Richard's funeral will
be et 7 p.m. Friday et the i~n~~r~.r!~J his
Radcllfl First Assembly of grandmother, Iva Harry
God with burial et 11
a.m. Saturday in North
of Redtown.
There will be no
Hardin Memorial Gardens funeral. Kytta will be
In Radcliff. Visitation at buried In Hardin
the church wm be from 1 Memorial Park In
to 7 p.m. Friday. Elizabethtown. Visitation
The family requests will be tram 6 to 9 p.m.
today at Brown Funeral
that expressions of
Home In Elizabethtown.
~~~fc~!:\g~~-t~ldlng
program.
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
is in charge of
arrangements.
PRAY FOR THE
STUDENTS
FAMILIES
COMMUNITY
P~AY

Anthony was a ninth-
grader at North Hardin
High School, where he
managed the freshman
basketball team. He was
remembered as a person
quick to make a
friendship.
Survivors Include his
mother, Karen Claybrook
of Radcliff; his father,
Roosevelt Marks of
Dumas, Ark.; three
sisters, Katherine
Hawthorn of Lockton,
Okla., Kelly Strother and
~:~~ff~:~•.~r~t~ir,
Mark Claybrook of
Radcliff.
His funeral will be at 7
p.m. Friday at the Radcliff
First Assembly of God
with burial at noon
Saturday In North Hardin
Memorial Gardens In
Radcliff. Visitation will be
at the church from 1 to 7
P·~e1::~lc1elen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
Is In charge of
arrangements.
April Mills
15 yeara old
April was an alghth-
grader at Radcllfl Middle
School. She had a kind
word for everyone and
always looked as II she'd
Just heard a )oka.
Survivors Include her
parents, Roy and Martha
MIiis of Radcliff; two
brothers, Christopher and
Curtis MIiis, both of
~~~izJr~71~~:a~~~1s
and Curtis and Laura
MIiis, all of Fernadlna
Beach, Fla.; and a great-
grandmother, Ida Ryals
of Fernadlna Beach,
April's funeral will be at
11 a.m. Friday at
Springhill Baptist Church
In Fernadlna Beach with
burial In the church
cemetery. Visitation will
be at Oxley-Heard
Funeral Home In
Femadlna Beach from 7
to 9 p.m. tomorrow.
John R. Pearman
36 yeara old
John Pearman of
Radcliff was driving the
bus. Crash survivors said
he died trying to save his
passengers by working
to extinguish the fire.
Pearman shared a
proud moment with his
family last month when
he became an ordained
minister.
He was Hardin circuit
court clerk and associate
pastor of Radcliff First
Assembly of God, He had
served on the Radcliff
City Council and Hardin
Fiscal Court.
Survivors Include his
wife, the former Dotty
A FIERY TRAGEDY: THE VICTIMS
PhllllpLNM-n
13 yeara old
Phillip was a seventh-
grader at James T. Alton
Junior High School In
Vine Grove. He had blua
eyes that twinkled when
he picked up a pair of
drum sticks. He was
scheduled to play In a
concert Monday, but It
has been canceled.
Survivors Include his
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
~:d~fiffT'a ~~~~.n
K~ren
Morgan of Radcliff;
f:~s~dg~~~~!~· A~~~~an
of Steams and Juanita
Corey of Utica, Mich.;
and a greati'r&ndmother,
Belle Corey, also of
Utica.
Phillip's funeral will be
at 7 p.m. Friday at the
Radcliff First Assemby of
God with burial at 10
a.m. Saturday In Hardin
Memorial Gardens In
Radcliff. Visitation will be
atthechurchfrom1to7
P-~;,1;~~~lc1elen-Bennett
Funeral Horne In Radcliff
Is In charge of
arrangements.
Tina Michelle Muataln
14 yeara otd
Tina was an eighth-
grader at Radcliff Middle
School. She was a big-
hearted girl, a member of
the school band and
played first base on the
Intermediate Softball
Team.
Survivors Include her
father, Robert W. Mustain
of Radcliff; a sister,
LaShawn 0. Mustain of
Lexington; and her
grandmothers, Minnie
Mustain of Newport,
Ark ., and Phalble E.
Herrin of Chandler,
Texas.
Tina's funeral will be at
3:30 p.m. tomorrow at
Lloyd James Funeral
Home In Tyler, Texas,
with burial In Rock HIii
Cemetery In Chandler,
Texas.
Brown Funeral Home
In Elizabethtown Is In
charge of local
arrangements
Amott; two daughters,
Christy and Tiffany
Pearman, both of
Radcliff; a son, Robbie
Pearman of Radcliff; his
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Pearman of
Radcliff; and a brother,
Jacob Pearman of
Radcliff.
The funeral will be et 2
p.m. Saturday at Radcliff
:ri~t :ir~:1~~ ~i~iod
1
Hardin Memorial Gardens
In Radcliff. Visitation et
Nelson-Edelen-Benntt
Funeral Home In Radcliff
will be from noon to 5
p.m. tomorrow and from
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday,
and at the church after
10 a.m. Saturday.
The family asks that
expressions of sympathy
go to the John R.
Pearman Memorial
School Fund lor Dove
Academy Building at the
church.
Christy Pearman, his
14-year-old daughter, was
hurt In the crash and
was In Critical condition
at Humana Hospltal·
University of Louisville.
WIiiiam was a
sophomore at Fort Knox
High Schoot and was
remembered as a
"preppy" because he
made It a point to be
well-dressed.
Survivors Include his
~~~n~,11~· JM~ic:is
Sr. of Radcliff; and
grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Melton Nichols of
Clarksville, Tenn., and
Lauretta Gough of San
0I
:'Jl~·tuneral will be at 7
p.m. Friday at Radcliff
~~ht :~~::e~~~fs~~ce
at 10 a.m. Saturday In
North Hardin Memorial
Gardens In Radcliff.
Visitation will be at the
church from 1 to 7 p.m.
Friday. The family
requests that
exp;is~'lfa~~lll'~ty
f.sembly of God Family
Fund.
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
Is In charge of
arrangements.
Patricia Suun NunnallN
10 yeara old
Patricia, known as
" Patty," was a fourth-
ir!~~n:;;:~: y~ew
Radcliff. She was a good
student and recently
placed third In an
Optimists Club speech
contest.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
James Nunnallee of
Radcliff; a sister, Jeanne
Nunnallee or Radcliff;
2~;:a;i~~:· 1:~~ :~!i
Park, Fla., and David and
Ruth Varn ol Fort
Meade, Fla.; and great-
grandmothers, Erma
Nunnallee of Holland,
Taxes, and Jane Betts of
Avon Park.
Amy's funeral will be In
Avon Park Fla., where
she will be burled.
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Homa In Radcliff
Is In charge of locaJ
arrangements.
Emlllle S. Thompaon
13 yeara old
Emlllle was an eighth-
grader at James P. Alton
Junior High School In
Vine Grove. A tall, slim
blonde, she was bright
and all knees, elbows
and smiles.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Thompson of
Vine Grove; a brother,
Eric Thompson of Vine
Grove; and grandparents,
MI6ma Thompscn of
TIiton, Ga., and Mr. and
Mrs. Joe Grimsley of
Wauchula, Fla.
Emlllla's funeral will be
at 7 p.m. Friday at the
Radcliff First Assembly ol
God with burial at 1O
a.m. Saturday In North
Hardin Memorial Gardens
In Radcliff. Visitation will
be at the church from 1
to 7 p.m. Friday.
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home ln Radcliff
Is In charge ol
arrangements.
Cryatal Erin Uhey
13 yeara old
Crystal was a sixth·
g~i':i.•;~..~~~ffh~)ddle
family were very close
and they enjoyed
performing together In
amateur music and
drama productions.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Myles R. Uhey of
Radcliff; three sisters,
Pamela J. and Rebecca
A. Uhey and Tina
Sorrells, all of Radcliff;
three brothers, John 0.,
Edwin J. and Adam N.
Uhey, all of Radcliff; and
grandparents, Candy
Uhey or Valencia, Calif.,
Joe and Bettye
Ciarrocchi of Woodland
Hills, Calif., and John
Guitar Ill of Colorado
Springs, Colo.
Crystal's funeral will be
at 7 p.m. Friday at the
Radcllfl First Assembly or
God with burial at 9 a.m.
Saturday In North Hardin
Memorial Gardens In
Radcliff. Visitation at the
church from 1 to 7 p.m.
Friday.
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
Is In charge ol
arrangements.
.: ~---
.... . ..,
THE COURIEA~OURNAL WEDNESDAY MAY 18 <988
DenlH Ellen Voglund
13 yeara old
Denise was an elQhth-
grader at Radcliff Mlddla
School. She was the
sell-appointed softball
team organizer In her
neighborhood. She
always had a smile.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs.
~:~~i~; :';?~~;r~
~~an
Voglund or Radcliff;
grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Vernon R. Voglund
of Kentland, Ind., and
Arthur E. Kursch of
Milwaukee, Wis.; and a
great-grandmother,
Josephine Hlenz ol
MIiwaukee.
A funeral Mass for
Denise will be at 10 a.m.
tomorrow at St.
Christopher Catholic
Church In Radcliff with
burial In North Hardin
Memorial Gardens In
Radclifl. Vlsllatlon will be
at the church from 5 to 9
p.m. today.
Nelson-Edelen·Bennett
Funeral Home In Radcliff
is In charge of
arrangements.
Amy Christine Wheelock
14 years old
Amy was an eighth-
ti':i T~ ~::cliff Middle
gifted/talented class. She
played trumpet In the
school band and was a
cheerleader and a
gymnast, who had finally
loamed the round-off
back-tuck, a tumbling
maneuver.
Survivors Include her
parents, Mr. and Mrs,
Thomas Wheelock of
Radcliff; two brothers,
Thomas M. Jr. and John
W. Wheelock, both of
1a:~:1~: ~r~~~~~rt
1
and grandparents, Mr.
and Mrs. Edwin Gross of
MIiford, Ill., and Willis L
Wheelock of Kentland,
Ind.
A funeral Mass for
Amy will be at 10 a.m.
tomorrow at St.
Christopher Catholic
Church In Radcliff with
burial in North Hardin
Memorial Gardens in
Radcliff. Visitation will be
at the church from 5 to 9
p.m. today
Nelson-Edelen-Bennett
Funeral Home In Radclllf
Is in charge of
arrangements.
......... ..... . . .... ...
A 15
Joy Wllllamo
34 y11ra old
Joy WIiiiams, of
Radcliff, who died In the
bus crash with her two
children , recentty earned a
real-estate license. She
always had time to talk to
people about their
problems and rarely spent
~":1=:'.1 l~sh=i~:""
Survivors Include her
husband, Sgt. Lee
WIiiiams, 38, her
childhood sweetheart from
Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Fitch Funeral Home In
Poplar Bluff Is In charge
of arrangements.
Krtatan Wllll1m1
14y11raold
Kristen was the
t:g~~rira~s:i1:~~s5ray
she was a sensitive girl.
She was an eighth-grader
at Radcliff Middle School,
~h':i 1~",,.\""J~ ;~iHy
swttched from clarinet to
bass clarinet.
Fitch Funeral Home In
Poplar Bluff, Mo., Is In
charge of arrangements.
Robin WIiiiams
10 years old
Robin, who died with
her mother Joy and sister
Kristen, was a " sports-
mlnded" fourth-grader at
Meadow View Elementary
Schoot In Radclilf. She
played In her first scltball
game last week and had
earned a place on her
schoof'.s academic
excellence Improvement
list.
Fitch Funeral Home In
Poplar Bluff, Mo., Is In
charge of arrangements.
Chad Anthony Witt
14 yeara old
Chad was an eighth-
grader at Radcliff Middle
School and loved
basketball and playing
drums In the school band.
Survivors Include his
father, Jack L. Witt or
Radcliff: his mother, Linda
Witt of Radcliff: a brother,
Christopher C, Witt of
Radcliff; a sister, Jaclyn L.
Witt or Radcliff;
grandparents, Mr. and
Mrs. Edgar Witt Jr. of
Liberty and Louella Smith
of New Orleans: and
w~:J'~~e~:t!'n~lola
Pearl and Carlton Aull of
Rockport, Ind.
Visitation wm be from 4
to 9 p.m. today at
Nelson.Edelen Funeral
Home in Radcliff witth
burlal In Glenwood
Cemetery In Liberty.
The family requests that
expressions al sympathy
go to the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation .
--- '. ~
 A 16
[ A FIERY TRAGEDY

Hearses' grim journey ends first sad chapter Hardin County

continued from Page One rallies to aid
,rnnu of Mayor Joseph Hutcherson.
The accident, one of the worst ot Its kind the victims,
In U.S. hlstol)', occurred when a pickup
truck traveling north In the southbound
lanes of l-71 crasl>ed Into the hus, which
their families
was returning IIS 67 occupants to the First By DAVID CAZARES
Assembly or God church lo Raddlft alter an Staft'Wrlter
outing at Klng1 Island amusement park near
Oncinnatl. RADCI.IFF, Ky. - Hardin couoty
Oftlclals say the gas tank on the bus rup- residents have rallied around the tam-
tured, fueling a fire that raced through the Illes alfected by Saturday's bus accl-
interior of the vehicle. All of the victims den~ offering any help they can.
died of smote lnbaJatlon. From health-care workers to mlnls-
On Monday. the driver of the truck, Larry ters to mllltal)' per.;oooel, volunteers
w. Mahoney, 34, or rural carron County, have come forward. Several tun~
was charged with 27 counts of capital mur- have been established for donaUoos
der. carron county commonwealth's Attor- Yesterday momlog. when families
ney John Ackman said be would press for or the dead were told that all of the
the death peaalty. victims had beeo positively ldenUfled,
Mahoney was In fair cond.ltJon yesterday mlnlster.; and mllltary chaplains were
at Humana HospltaJ-Unlver.;lty of Louisville there to comfort and counsel.
with bead and chest Injuries. Police said he COL Jerry Ftemmlng, chief of social
was transferred to the hospital's prison sec- services at Ireland Anny Hospital at
Uon. Fort Knox, said chaplains and coun-
Authorities bave saJd a test after the acci- selors were trying to comfort family
dent showed that Mahoney had nearly 2½ members and referring some to psy-
times the legal llmlt or alcohol tn his blood. chologists or psychiatrists.
Local. state and federal autborttJes con- Flemming said several familles
tinued to Investigate the crash yesterday, al- have sought help at the hospllal's cri-
though few details of their wort bave been sis center. He said the hospital bas a
released. 24-bour phone line (624-HELP) for
State police C.pl Neal Brittain said Inves- anyone who needs to talk.
tigators believe they know bow Mahoney He said the outpouring of support
came to be driving down the wrong side of has helped the famllles.
the Interstate, but be would not release de- "Ctrlalnly having so many people
tails. that are close, caring and who are as-
" We're still recelvfng lntormatlon. We
have to remain nextble in reconstructing sistlng each other makes it much easi-
the events as more Information comes In," er to get through a vel)' difficult situa-
said Brittain. who is commander of the state tion," he said.
police post at La Grange. '"This Is a criminal The Rev. Dao Mattingly of the First
inve.stlgatlon, so we are being consemtive
Assembly of God also praised the
In what we release." community. "There are really no
State police llave not been able to cor- words to describe bow the comm-
roborate reports that Mahoney may have munty has Joined together and pitched
been drag raclog with a motorcycle In the lo to help."
northbound lanes when be swerved across STAFF PHOTO BY PATMcCO-IOOH "We'll all Just have to sUck together
the grass median loto the truck's path. A ,mall cro11 made of pl11Uc flowers w11 placed at the alte of the fiery bua crash. It w11 not known who placed the cro11 and try lo bear the grief together and
"We haven't ruled anything out But I can who,. 27 people lost their llvH Saturdey night relieve one another and pray that all
say we bave reason to question the story thbwlll pass as soon as possible so we
about the motorcycle," Brittain said. finding, Mooday night. NTSB member Jo- come to terms with the tragedy. most dlfflcull task, the pastor of the First go on with our normal lives." Mayor
The nearest Interchange south of the seph Nall said Investigators bad no addition- Joseph Hutcher.;on said.
The service, to be held at the North Hard· Assembly of God ch urch, the Rev. W. Don However, Flemming said some peo-
crash site Is abou t seven miles away, at al Information to release yesterday. in county High School roolball stadium, will Tennison, called for compassion tor Ma-
campbellsburg. Thus. If Mahoney had got- The bus. with the bodies of the victims begin at 7 p.m. and last about an hour. honey. But he said there Is also a price to ple may not not feel the loss for a
ten on lhe interstate going the wrong way, still Inside, was taken to the armory early pay for sin. while. Community leaders are particu-
he would have had lo drive a considerable Su nday morning on a truck. Post-mortem The Rev. Gene Waggoner, pastor of the larly concerned about schoolchildren
distance before the accident. examinations were performed Sunday, and Stithton Baptist Church In Radclltr. said the ''There are ways that justice Is taken care because the school year will end soon,
Brinaln said that, as tar as he knew, state the lden1lficat1on process continued through service will include scriptu re readln~. of. and ii Is not our obligation - nehher is hesald.
police had received no report of a driver yesterday morning. prayers and hymns. The names of lhe vic- it our duly - to condemn and try 10 de- Mark Vogedes. area manager for
going the wrong way on that part of the Brittain said the last victim was positively tims will be read, and a band frbm Fort stroy," he said. " ... We're there 10 under- the Red Cross for Fort Knox, said
interstate shortly before the crash. identified yesterday morning. He said their Knox will play. gird and to uplift and pray for tbls man, mental-health workers were scbed·
About 15 state policemen are working on relatives were notified personally yester- Waggoner said that area residents, even pray for his family." uled to meet with ramilles last night
the Investigation. Brittain said. They have day, many of them as they arrived for a those who did not suffer a personal 1cm, at North Hardin High School to devel-
Concerning the decision to seek tbe death
interviewed all •o surviving passengers of meeting at the Radcliff church. need to express their grief. "The communi- penalty against Mahoney, Tennison said: "l op a long.term counseling plan.
the bus, and at least 15 olber witnesses. in- With the ldenlltlcation of the victims com- ty wanls It, needs It and expeclS It," he said. am one that forgives but at the same time Vogedes said the Red Cross also Is
cluding an Akron, Ohio, cou ple riding in a plete, neighbors and family members now working with famllles to help arraol!"
Waggoner said Gov. Wallace Wilkinson, I'm one who believes that the wages of sin medical and funeral expenses.
C.dlllac that was struck by the bus atter It face the sorrowful 1ask of saying a final Maj. General Thomas Tait of Fort Knox, have a price .... We can find forgiveness
collided w1th Mahoney's truck. goodbye. The Rev. Gene Waggoner, pastor of
and other state and local officials will be from God and thank God tor that forgive- the Stlthlon Baptist Church lo Rad-
Brittain would not release the names of "There's where the reality sinks In," said Invited. ness. but that doesn't mean He's going to rip
tbe Akron couple. David Jones. administrator of lhe stale cliff, asked people to remember those
Stale police and Investigators from the medical examiner's office. He said lhe stadium sealS about 2,400 peo- up the roots of sin and (keep) us from hav- who are hospitalized, many of whom
ple, but more bleachers and chairs will be ing to pay a price for the sin." are badly burned.
National Transportation Safety Board re- Radclllt Mayor Hutcherson. In announc-
turned to Inspect the accident scene yester- ing the memorial service, said It Is needed set up lo Increase Its capacity to about lnfonnatlon fo, this stOf)' also wH gathered "We"ve got a disaster there too," be
day ahemooo. so that residents of the northern Hardin <f,000. by 1taN writers David Cazares and Tim said. ''We must not forget them and
The NTSB officials released some loitlal County communl1y of about 20,000 can As the community braced for perhaps Its Aober1a. their parents, who stand there by
their bedsides (and) wbo watch them
In pain.'"
The support hasn't been limited to
14 victims of wreck still hospitalized give thanks as offers of aid pour µi Hardin County. Representatives of
Radcllffs sister city of Munster, West
Germany, have sent condolences and
COnUnued from Page One Dr. Mark Malangonl, wbo Is treating the six Katrina ls In critical condition at Kosalr for you too.'" Jay said. are raising money, Hutcherson said.
youths at Unlverslly. Children's. Yesterday, Jay repealedly thanked Geof- State Sen. Vl~I Pearman said he
Intensive-care or burn units, where visUor5 Meanwhile, the hospital staff must be on David, who suffered burns on his face, frey Plokerton, of Shelbyville, a 22-year-old has received calls of support from
are limited to immediate family members. guard against Infection - tbe most serious neck and arms, screamed In pain yesterday college studeol who had helped pull Clarao U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford and Rep. Wlt-
But Xosalr is making an exception for menace to a bum patient - and work to when doctors scraped away dead tissue from the bus and stopped by the hospital to llam Nalcber. "C.lls are comlng tn
some youths who aren't too Ill to see their replenish nulds and extra calories patients from a third-degree burn on bis arm, Kathy check on her condltlon. from all over tbe country," he said.
friends because of the therapeutic value, need to recover, he said. Walliser said. But before thal he Joked with "He saved my daughter's Ille," she kept Several funds have been established
said Kosa.Ir spokeswoman Pam Greer. Although the more serious cases could be friends, and a few hours after the bum repealing, holding bis arm. for donallons, Including:
And University cbaptaln Jackie Ward said "llfe-<hreatenlng," Malangonl said the pa- treatment. be dictated a thank-you note to Meanwhile, as the youths recover from • A fund at The Republic Savlng.s
the parents of one youth wbo can't have tients' youth Is on their side and all are the emergency-room doctor wbo first treat· the shock of the accident. they are demand- Bank or Elizabethtown. Checks should
visitors are recording messages from doing well. Except for babies, It's '"the ed him at the Cerroll county Memorial Hos- ing more Information about It, their parents be made payable to the First Assem-
friends In a nolebook. younger, the better," when recovering from pital. and hospital otnclals said. bly of God and sent to the bank at 5-02
The outpouring of support Is helping the burns. be said. And lhe family was dellghled wbeo mem- Kosalr Chaplain R. Wayne WIiiis said W. Dixie Ave, Elizabethtown, Ky,
ramilles and the youths lo the hospital cope Kathy Walliser said she learned that ber ber.; of a youth group from a Baptist church youths there are devouring newspaper and
In Clarksville, lod., showed up slmply to television accounts of the accident
42701.
with lhe grief over their friends' deattis and son bad escaped the bus unhurt, but went wlsb David well, Walliser said. • The John Pearman Memorial Bus
Hospllat chaplains are encouraglog par- Fuod. Seod contrlbuUons lo 826 S.
the pain of their own Injuries, pareois and back Into It when be beard bls friend, Ka- "Their first offer was 'What can we do?'" ents to answer their questions about friends Dixie Blvd., Radcllrr, Ky., 40160.
hospital otflcials said. Some who were trina Mueller, screamJng. "She was on fire sbe said. who were killed or Injured, he said. some •ne John Pearman Memorial
burned severely may face months In the and he wrapped bis arms arou nd her, and The concern of complete strangers ls the youttis sUII using respirator.; and unable to School Fund. Make checks payable to
hospital underJOlog palolul treatmeo~ said carried her ou~" she said. most touching, according to members of talk are scribbling questions oo paper and the First As.sembly of God, P.O. Box
other families. writing out their accounts of the accident 760, Radcliff, 40160.
Liz Dinger. who drove from Mlsoouri to One youth wrote to a nurse "ls my brother • ne We Care fund, administered
see her niece, Claran Foran, who Is hospital- dead?" by lhe North Hardin Mlnlstertal Asso-

Task of identifying ized at Unlverslly, used her CB radio to ask

ville. Instead, a driver stopped hb truck and

drew her a map, she said.
The nur.;e got his parents, wbo told him
trucker5 tor directions as she neared Louis- yes, bis brother bad been killed, WIiiis said.
Some parents are concerned about expos-
Ing the children to too much Information
claUon. Send donations to Hardin
county Banlt aod Trust, 5-00 W. Un-
coin Trall Boulevard, Radcliff, Ky, ·
40160.

crash victims 'probably Claran's mother, Juny Jay, of Arkansas, aboul the accldenl But WIiiis ts recom-
said that atter she arrived at the hospital, mending that they hold back nothing, since
she took a long-distance call for another they've already lived through the ordeal.
family from a minister. When he learned "They saw the carnage," Wlllb said.
The Rev. Danny Glover, president
of the mlnlsterlal assoclaUoo, said the
director.; have agreed to consolidate
tbe tour funds, with tbe money admin-

the most difficult ever' who she was, he offered bls prayers for the "They saw their buddies bum up on that
family, then "the operator said Tm praying bus."
istered by the mlnlsterlal association.

By JUDY BRYANT other characteristics, such as heart de-

Staff Wriier fects. Toxlcologlsts analyze body nulds lo
try to malcb blood types or Identify pre-
CARROLLTON, Ky. - As Kentucky scription drug, lo the blood, for example.
Jefferson schools to mothball similar buses
tragedies go, the bus crash that killed 27 Fingerprints, of course, provide Irre- By ROBIN GARR lated to Saturday's accldenl Island, Principal Jim Stone said.
people near Cerrollton on Saturday ls not futable Identification. But the bus-crash Staff Writer The contract-bus service's five Superiors Stone said be receive<! three calls yester-
the worst. Victims were burned beyond recognltlon. also are used only as spares by lls 129 mem-day from parents worried because the
But the task or ldeotifylog those who Thus. Jones. said, dental records p~ The Jeffer.;on county Public Schools have ber driven; only the Superior owned by the cburch bus that burned Saturday was on lls
died when the Interior of the bus was vlded the most errect1ve clues. Most or 65 buses si milar to the one that burned alter single contractor Is used dally, said Janiceway home to Radcliff, Ky., from a trip to
virtually incinerated was " probably the the victims were Identified that way. a head-on crash near carrollton Saturday HIii, manager or the service. King, Island.
most difficult one we've ever been In- Several forensic dentists from tbe Unl- nlghl but vlrtually all will be taken out or Thal bus, No. 250, serves Crosby Middle "That's a very small percentage, but I'm
volved In," said David Jones. administra- vmlty or Louisville who specialize In service when the school year ends June 3, School and Grealhouse-Sbl)'ock Traditional not surprised" at the calls, be said.
tor of the state medical examiner's of- dental lodentlflcatlon helped compare officials said yesterday. Elementary School. It does not travel on ex-
"I can understand the concern. It's a trag-
fice. each victim's dental records to dental The public schools own 59 of the 19n pressways. Hill said.
The school system usually replaces lls ic sltualloo. But l think we bave to realize It
EmoUonally, "this one will always charts prepared by medical examiners In Superiors on a Ford chassis; five beloog to
stand out" because most of the victims the makeshift morgue at tbe Kentucky Contract Bus Service, the consortium of pri- gasoline-powered buses aner 10 years and was a freakish accident, and we have to
were children. Jones said yesterday. National Guard armory In Carrollton. vate owners who drive under contract to the diesel buses after 15 years. However, Hilt realize that all the safety precauUons that
"Any lime you deal with children and Some of tbe children who died, howev- schools, and one belong.s lo ao lodMduaJ said contraclors - subject to mechanical can be taken are being taken."
death, It makes It difficult." er, had not had enough dental work to contract driver. lnspecUons - may apply for two, ooe-year Stone said the oldest bus In the expedition
Twenty-four of the scboob' Superior.; al- extensions. Is a 1981 model and the newest a 1987 mod-
The medical examiner's staff had the make an effectJve comparison, he said.
grim chore or positively Identifyi ng eacb In those cases. examiners looked for an ready have been replaced by diesel· Engler said that since 1982 the schoots el. All were built under newer, stricter fed-
of the bodies. Tbe task was completed ldenUfylng piece of clothing, a tennis pawered 1988 buses and are parked In a lot have purchased only diesel buses because eral standards that require a beavy, metal
yesterday morning. and the bodies of all shoe. or a piece of Jewelry. at the schools' Nichols bus compauod, wait· they are considered safer (diesel fuel Is guard around the fuel tank.
27 vlctJms were sent home by last night Twenty-four children and teen-agers Ing to be sold, said Jim Engler, assistant much less nammable than gasoline) and Because or concerns highlighted by the
The normal procedure for Identifying died In the accident Three adults died. director of vehicle maintenance. more efficient He estimated that 55 percent carrollton tragedy, he said, the buses will
remains usually begins with a list of each Jones. the father of two children,
victim's known physical charocterlstlcs, downplayed the anguish that could be
Jones said. They Include body size, hair considered an occupational hazard. "We
color and ldenllfylng marks. wra p ourselves In ou r work" to keep
The remaining 35 are used only as spares
when newer buses break down, he said.
They will be replaced by 19118 modeb ond
sold before school resumes In August,
.
of the system's 628-bus neet (not counting carry only two students per seat. or 44 per
the coolract buses) Is diesel-powered. bus - two-thirds or their rated capacity.
Also, he said, studenls making the trip
About 200 students from Noe Middle will get a safety briefing and go through an
Autopsies provide Information about emotions at bay, he said. Engler said. School, 121 W. Lee St., will boord fi ve evacuation drill before the buses leave the
He said the phaseout Is rouUne and unre- school buses Saturday for a trip to King, school parking lot.
 A FIERY TRAGEDY

At Iott, the 19TT ochool but In which 27 people died after

Saturd1y'1 h1ad90n coUlalon wtth I pickup truck 11t on 1
trailer In the Kentucky National Quard Armory at Carrollton,
Just north of the accident 1cen1. The but la ahown after the
bodlH of the vfcttma were removed and tt w11 atudled by
lnv11Ug1tors from the National Tranaportation Safety Board.
Above, a few of the Hall remained after the lnv11Ugatlon.

More emergency exits likely would have saved lives, police say
Continued from Page One Kentucky offlctats thlnl< addltlooal ellts districts revealed confusion about the lea- would have to be extremely small." could get out of II (tbe Window)."
would be more a hindrance tban a help, tures of Kentucky school buses. As a result, Craggs said, Windows aren't Kentucky scboolcblldren are supposed to
nonce. The bus. did not burn and suJ!ered said Parks, of the state Department of Edu- Supervtsors lo Jeffenoo, Fayette and mentioned during bUs-ilvacuation drills In practice evacuatlng buses twice each year,
only about sioo damage, he said. caUoo. Pike counties and Frankfort nrst said their Jefferson County. under the supervlslon ot the bus driver and
There are oo federal regulaUons requlr- "Our Judgment Is they'd be counterpro- districts' buses Include pusb,.ut Windows. Llkewtse, In a fifth school district, Da- observation by a principal or administrator.
tng emergency exits through windows or ductlve," be said of pusb .. ut Windows. "Kids All later corrected themselves after check- viess County's, transportaUon director Children are supposed to practice evacu•
side doors on school buses. Aspokesman for would play wttb tbem. We've just never felt Ing manuals or asking other employees. James Huckleberry said the balf..pen win- aUng using tbe front door only, tile rear
the National Highway Traffic and Safety comfortable With Windows on buses that The confusion suggests Keotucky school- dows are too small tor escapes. Students door only, and both door,, said Parks, the
AdmtnlstraUon - wblcb sets standards for pusb out easily." children may be told different things about could be cut or get stuck In them, be said.
new motor vehicles - could not explaln the However, Williams sa.Jd tbe addlHonal bow to get out of a bus In an emergency. But lo Fayette Counly, Transportatlon DI· Educatloo Department spokesman. Districts
agency's exit rules yesterday.
However, at least sevto states require
doors and Windows seoerally are wired
alarms to prevent boneplay,
to "I've never viewed that (escaping through
the Window) as an opUoo," said Tom
rector Richard Hamlin sald he believes cbll·
dren are told about ellUog through win·
that don't perform the required drll~ Jeop-
ardlze their accredltatlon, be sa.Jd.
school buses to bave emergency ellts be- And Saturday nigh~ sucb addlUooal exits Crallll', assistant director of traosportaUoo dows. Hamlin, who stands 6 feet 5 Inches lnfonn•tion for thll 1tory WH IIIO gathered
sides the rear door. Some require at least could have been life saven. for tbe Jefferson County schools. "You and weighs 250 pounds, said, "I think I by ttatt writtr Robin Garr.
two Windows that can be pushed out In an With the !root door blocked by fire, the
emergency; some require an extra door on 67 people on bo8rd all !1Cl'8111bled toward
the side; New York requires push~ut win- the emergency exit ln the rear.
dows, an extra door and an escape batch
through the roof.
Dr. George Nlcbols, the stale medical ex-
aminer, said most of the Victims were found
"Let's say the front door was blocked and In two groups In tbe aisle of tile bus, wblcb
Driver of pickup reportedly drank
tbe back door was blocked for some reason, had 11 rows of seats: one group oear lbe
the only way out would be the Windows," fifth and siJth rows and a second from tile
said Bob Russell, director of Indiana's divi-
sion of scbooHratflc safely. Since 1978, In-
seventh to ninth rows.
off and on in hours before crash
dlann has re<tUlred standard 66-passenger co~~d:.i:~:y ~~e ~:to~!~:'~ By AL CROSS alone, sat near the high alcohol level found In Maboney's blood
school buses to have two Window exits. he the 9-4ntb by 24-lncb bole created when the Staff Writer end of the bar, a few hours later. ·
said. windows are lowered. A Courier-Journal re- drank one beer, and Mahoney apparently went from Meftord's
The addltlonal safety features add only porter bad dlfflculty lowering a Window yes- CARROLLTON, Ky. - Larry Mahoney left alone about 3:30. to the nearby home of Jay Glbson, where
several hundred dollan to the buses' terday oo a 1977 Superior bus owned by the bad been drinking - at least oft and on - He was not drunk Gibson, Phil Downey, Taylor Fox and a cou-
$30,000 cos~ said Jerry WIiiiams, president Jefferson County public schools. tor several hours Saturday before bls pick- when he came in or pie of other men were working on a bus.
of the American Transportation Corp. of In addition. Interviews In recent days With up truck bit a church bus while he was when he left. said Taylor Fox said Mahoney brought only
Conway, Ark., which makes Ward buses. busing supervisors In four Kentucky school driving oo the wrong side of fnterstate 71. Osborne and Orexell one beer with him and drank nothing else.
That was the account given yesterday by Sharp, a friend of Fox said that Mahoney left about 9:30
~ - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - ~ friends, relatives and acquaintances of Ma- Mahoney who was p.m. and did not pull Into the lane leading to
honey, who bas been charged with capital ~~-~ there. hls borne nearby. That was the last time bis

2 days before wreck, bus driver
told kin of bad feeling about trip
AS'sociated Press
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. - Two days
before bis cburcb bus collided head-on
with a pickup truck beaded the wrong
'l'BY on Interstate 71, John Pearman
told relatlves "something felt wrong."
Pearman, the Hardin County circuit
clerk and ..... ~tant pastor at Radcli ff
First Assembly of God, bad driven
to
youngsters from tllecburcb Kings Js.
land amusement park as many as 10
Umes, but "didn't feel right about this
one," said bis uncle, state Sen. Virgil
Pearman.
"He didn't wnnt lo go," VlrgU Pear·
man sald. "In fact, be wasn't going to
Conditions of those injured
in Saturday's crash updated
Here ts an update oo tbe conditions
of those Injured In SalUrday's bus crasb.
Cheryl Pearman was discharged
from Kosalr Children's Hospital In Lou-
lsvllle and Pamela Ubey was released
from Ireland Army Hospital In Fort
Knox yesterday. Uhey bad been trans-
ferred to Ireland from Kosalr 0111·
dren's Hospital Monday,
Al Kosalr Children's Hospital, Mike
Jefferson's condition was upgraded
from serious to fair. David Walliser re- condition at SS. Maryl Elizabeth Boo,
mains lo fair coodlUon. The following pltal In Loulsvllle.
Congressmen ask Reagan's help
in combating drunken driving
The Washington Bureau
gan could do help, but It sald, "Your
WASHfNGTON - Reacting to Satur· Immediate action Is so Important to
day's fata l bus crash near Carrollton, bring all tile groups tosetber to solve
Ky., the state's congressmen asked the problems of alcohol nbuse and
President Reagon yesterday for bts drunl< driving."
"personal Intervention and on OS'!ist In
resolving the national epidemic of
drunk driving."
The request wns made lo o letter to dy, we must seize the opportunity lo
Reagan Initiated by Sen. Wendell Ford
and signed by all nine of the state's con· and, bopetully, soluUons to drunk
gressmen, according to a Ford aide.
go because be felt funny about I~ but
then the person who was going to tate
bis place dido'~ and John dldn1 want to
disappoint anyone, so be went"
The fiery colllslon Saturday night
kllled 27 people, Including Pearman.
Ronald Hockman, minister of the
North Bardin Cbrlstlan Cburcb and
president of the Dove Academy, a
school operated by First Assembly of
God, knew Peannan bad been trying to
to
find someone else drive the bus.
"! badn1 beard about any premonl-
Uons," be said. "But I do know be tried
real bard to ftod other, to drive the
bus. But I don't know wby,"
remaJn In critical condition: Aaron Con·
yer,, Baroid Dennis, Kim Dennis, Quen·
Uo Higgins and Katrina Mueller.
At Humana Hospltal-Unlver,lty of
Loulsvllle, lbe following patients re-
main In crltlcal condlUoo: Carey An·
reotz, Ctaran Foran and Kristle Pear-
man. The tollowlo.g patients remain In
serious condltlon: Kimberly Farmer,
Darrin Jacques and Joseph Pearcefel.
JeonUer SCOvtlle remaln.s In serious
The letter did nol specify what Rea·
to
The letter said that while "the na-
tion's attentlon ls focused on this trage-
bring natlonal attenuon to the cau.,es
driving."
~u';,rder lo the deaths of 27 people on the ~:.:n: "laugh Ing anJb~.:J:in:'~!," ~~i rr1;::: r=~ 0~1:~::~Y~l!ovements Satur-
ur!::. Ti:1~~;~ ~~~! ~~!~ l'i;~·a::: was not boisterous. day are not clear.
dent showed Mahoney bad an alcohol con- Mahoney was In a good mood a short Hls father, John N. Mahoney of Moxley in
tent of 0.2-4 percent - more than twice the time later, sa.Jd bis coon-buntlng companion Owen County, said he saw hls son sometime
level at wblcb a person ls legally presumed and close friend, Dennis Mefford of Worth· Saturday, but would 001 say where or when.
to be lnloxicaled. ville. He said they did not have a conversation.
Mahoney, 34, began Saturday on the Job Mefford said Mahoney told him that a SU· For the past two days. there bave been
reports that Mahoney was seen at another
at M l T Chemicals In Carrollton, where be pervtsor at the chemical plant bad praised
bas a 112,on-bour production Job. hls work the night before. and that Mahoney bar In carrouton Saturday. However, em-
ployees of that bar, and those of the three
Mahoney Is part of a sh ift that works 12 was lookJng forward lo this year's huntlng other Carrollton businesses that have llquor-
hours a day tor three days then has three season because he bad an excellent dog. by-tbe-drlnk licenses, said they did not see
days off. In the current rotation. bts shin He said Mahoney's greatest wish was to him. The bartender of one of Carrollton·s
works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. have a world-championship dog. Sharp said several beer-only bars said the same.
After tbe shift ended Saturday morning, Mahoney bad bought an old truck In which
Its workers had a three-day break. to hau l bis dogs.
Mefford and some other friends saJd Ma-
honey had been known to drink heavily on
Acquaintances said several workers on Mefford said Mahoney dropped by bis
the shin often go from work to play pool at home about 6:30 p.m., while Metrord and
occasion, but had quit or greatly reduced
bis drlnldog In recent months because or
Tubby's Tavern oo KY 227 at tbe south edse another man were Installing a radio In a stomach problems, and bad lost much
ot C&rrollton, on Maboney's way home. truck. He said Mahoney left about 8:30 after weight during that Ume.
However, the bar does not open until 9 helping with the Job aod Joining them for Body weight Is related to blood,elcobol
a.m., and Mahoney did not show up there pizza and a six-pack of beer. levels. It takes a larger amount of alcohol to
Saturday uoW 3 p.m., said Joanne Osborne, "He drank two beers at the most," Mel· reach a given level ln a heavier person than
the owner. She said Mahoney came lo ford said, expressing bewlldermeol at the a smaller one.
To witness, truck was 'scary' nuisance,
tailgating and driving the wrong way
Gennett News service condition at Humana "He did a U~urn at about tile 49-mlle
Hospital-University marker, then came up behind me, and
The dark little pickup perched high off of Loutsvllie yester· passed me with bis bright lights oo," be
the pavement bad become a nuisance to day. said. "He about blinded me."
Qlnt Bradley, a Southgate, Ky., businessman He bas been Later, Bradley passed the truck as II trav•
on bis way to Loutsvllie. charged With 27 eled erratically behind the tractor-trailer.
It was late Saturday, nearly 11 p.m., when counts ot murder In "He was right on the back end of the trac-
Bradley steered bis car off Interstate 71 at the accident Brad- tor-trailer," be said. "He (the trador-traller
carrollton, Ky., tor cigarettes. The nuisance, ley, who was Inter- driver) was giving blm a brake Job (apply-
be thought, was gone, vanished on the viewed by state ~ ing brakes, forcing the pickup to reduce
stretch of highway be stlll bad to cover. lice yesterday, said speed) . I got an opportunity to pass him, so
But minutes later, Bradley was back on I passed him," Bradley said.
the highway - and sharing space wttll the Bradley
lillck agalo.
he has been de-
scribed asa key wit· Soon after Iba~ Bradley left the highway
tor cigarettes and returned to the south-
Suddenly, the lillck, south of Bradley's oess In the case.
"I'm not real fond of going before the
car and lo Its path, looped to the len, grand Jury," be said. "But I believe people
bounced through tbe median strip, ond -
bound lanes within two to three minutes.
"I have no doubt" It was the same truck
need to step forward.'' that smashed Into the bus. be said. "It was a
now northbound - accelerated back at
Bradley said be saw tbe pickup lillck, Its Toyota pickup truck that looked like It had
southbound traffic.
"He came bead-on at me," Bradley sald. bright headlights burning. make two U~urns a body nn. I saw tile Toyota tailgate. How
"He was In the high-speed lane." on the highway, tallgate a tractor-troller, many could there have been traveling at
that time of nigh~ doing that kind of stuff?"
Bradley said the lillck passed wltblo six and swerve In and out ot traffic lanes.
feet of bis car, In the adjacent traffic lane. "I was with him for about 10 miles," he A northbound motorist who saw the eccl·
said. dent and another southbound motorist who
"The whole time, It didn't seem like be
"I couldn't tell bow fast he was going
right tbeo," Bradley said. "I was busy blow- was speeding excessively. He was In the 70- followed the tractor trailer also have come
mph range, I would guess." torwardaswitn~
log the born and blinking the lights."
Minutes later, the pickup, apparently the The speed llmlt at that point ~ 65 mph. Bradley said he learned about the acci-
Toyota driven by Larry Mahoney, 34, of Bradley, alone In his car, said he firstdent about 6 the following morning and Im-
Carroll Counly, Ky., slammed head,.n Into a spotted the pickup when It made a U-tum mediately made the connection to the truck
Radcliff church bus that erupted In flames, from northbound 71 to southbound 71. lr&V· he had encountered only hours earlier. "I
killing 27 and hurting more than -40 others. ellng In the proper direction on both sides can't believe he passed me on that sa me
Mahoney, under police guard, was in fair of the highway. side," he sold. "It was scary."
MITRO EOITION, 76 PAGES,
mitt ~ouritr-lournal
*******
"Where do broken hearts go?"
Thousands
mourn victims
of bus tragedy
By TODD MURPHY
Staff Writer
RADCLIFF, Ky. - As she s1ood among the
thousands quleUy gathered at a footba ll stadi-
um here last night, Judy carllon asked the
question that the Rev. Gene B. Waggoner
would ask again a few minutes later.
Why?
"You just don't know why God did this,"
caruon said as she looked toward the rostrum
at the center of the field.
"Where was God?" she asked. "Why didn't
be Intercede?"
Carlton and about 5,000 others came to the
North Hardin High School footba ll field last
night for a memorial service to honor the 27
area residents - most of them students -
kllled ln a llery bus crash near C&rrolllon Sat-
urday night.
Since then, residents bave been asldog why.
Last night. they gathered to ask their quesUons
together - and to comfort one another.
"Why do bad things happen to good people?"
Waggoner asked In his memorial message In
the middle of the 70-mlnute service. "None of
us can answer that question. And If we could, It
wouldn't change what happened••.. It we
could, It wouldn't take away tbe grief."
People started gatheri ng !or the 7 p.m. serv-
ice about 5 p.m, Guided by security olllclals
from the Radcliff Police Department and Fort
Knox, lhey had !llled 1he football bleacher., by
6:30, then started quietly llltng around the
See THOUSANDS
PAGE 6, col. t, thlssectlon
Wilkinson vows
stronger action
on bus safety,
drunken driving
By AL CROSS
Starr Writer
FRANKFORT, Ky. - Last weekend's fatal
bus accident on Interstate 71, which police say
was caused by the drunken driver or a pickup
truck, has prompled state officials to take
stronger action on bus safety and drunken
driving.
Gov. Wallace Wilkinson promised yesterday
to strengthen enforcement In both areas, and
be is expected to announce several specific
measures at a news conference this morning.
Among the steps being coosldered are:
• A free Inspection program for church bus-
es like the one ln which 27 people died aner It
collided with the pickup and burned. State In-
spectors rarely check such buses.
• Regulations to require seat belts, more
emergency exits and other safety procedures
on buses. Several states have such regulations,
which are stricter than federal rules.
• More state-police roadblocks to catch
drunken drivers and Increased enforcement by
the state Water Patrol to apprehend drunken
boaters.
• Closer monitoring by alcobollc-beverage-
control agents of businesses that have served
See ACTION
Back page, col. I, this section
Seat padding speeds
bus fires, tests show
By SCOTT THURM About the same time, Nash-
Slaff Writer ville-a rea firefighters practiced
rescuing passengers trapped In
Three weeks ogo, Csrlisle a school bus. But the results of
Beasley conducted a frightening the fire made the rescue drill
experiment. irrelevant, Beasley said.
The director of transportation " We concluded that the fire
for the metropolitan Nashvllle department wouldn't be on the
Tenn., school district sturred scene bef?re the bus was lost."
seven or eight pieces or newspa- Beasley s experiment, and
per Into a paper bag. He placed others, are receiving scrutiny in
the bag In the first row of 8 light of a collision and fire In
1977 school bus and set 11 afire. carromon Saturday nlgh1 lha1
Less than fou r minutes later,
Beasley said, lhe bus was en- See SEAT PADDING
gulled In names. Back page, cot. 4, 1hls section
____
-·----- .,
.,_
_,. _
_____
- -- --~10. 11
_.___ __ _ c1
,,.,,.,.___ _
_ __
___
TY,_.__ __ _ E 2
A
,1,7
,,
WMU!ld - --- E
COPYRIGHT~ 1988, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVIUE, KY , A GANNETT NEWSPAPER
John Obregon clutched his father, Juan Obregon of Fort Knox, l11t ntght during the memorial service at the North
Hardin County High Sch~ football stadium. John's brother and 1i1ter, Eu1taclo and Monica, were pa11engara on
the bus and have been released from the hospital. Other stories and photos, Pages A e and A 7.
Expert says fire likely
even with a tank cage
By SCOTT THURM
Stoff Writer
Stale Fire Ma111hal BIii Martin gash In the tank, and a fire and
said yesterday he does not be- exploston that followed killed 27
lieve a metal cage like those re- people - most of them young-
quired around fuel tanks of
newer school buses would have
prevented the fire that killed 27
people near carrollton Saturday
night
After examining the bus that month before federal regula-
was hit head-on by a pickup tions required fuel tanks of new
truck on Interstate 71 , Martin
said he believes the protective
cage probably would not have
Riverboat A new weekly
dining
Weekend, Page E 1 V/
car section
INloctlonQ
STAFF PHOTO av BEN v~ HJOI(
kept the gas lank from being
punctured.
The Impact left a three-inch
sters - returning to a Radcliff
church rrom Kings Island
amusement park near Cincin-
nati.
The 1977 bus was bulll one
See GAS-TANK
Back page, col. 5, this section
~
FRIDAY MAY 20, 1988 35 CENTS
Colombian
drug kingpin
is convicted
of trafficking
By MICHAEL ISIKOFF
C The Washington Post
JACKSONVILLE, Aa. - cartos Lthder
Rivas, a sell-5l)'led COiombian revolutloaary
who helped round the world's largest co-
caine cartel, was convicted yesterday or
running a sophlsUcated drug-smuggling con-
spiracy that Imported hundreds or mllllou
or dollaB worth or cocaine Into the United
States ln t979 and 1980.
Lebder's conviction, after seven montbJ
or tesumony and 6 II days or jury delibera-
tions, ls considered the U. S. government's
:~:u::~11=~!~ .--------,
lln cartel, a violent corr
glomera1e that conlrols
as much as 80 percent
of the cocaine that has
flooded the United ,
States In recent years.
"In the Immortal
words of James Brown,
'I !eel good!' " said U. S.
Attorney Robert Mer- · - " -- - - '
kle, who stalked Lthder Lehder
for six years and pros-
eculed the case. "This ls truly a major vtcto,
ry In the war on dru~..•• It shows our
American justice system ls 001 lnUmtdaled
by bribes, threats, physical vtolence or any-
thing else.''
Three juror., wept as they were potted
aner the verdict
Lebder, 38, was round guilty on II counts
or a 1981 lndlctment lnvolvtng about 3.3 ton,
of cocaine secretly nowo to Georgia and
Aorlda. But evidence In the case linked
Lehder's organlmllon to as much 18 tons
smuggled Into the country over eight yea11
ending around 1985.
Operating from the Bahamian lstand or
Norman's cay and allegedly aided by the
See COLOMBIAN
Back page, col. I, this secUon
Bush struggles
to show voters
he's no clone
of Reagan
ANALYSIS
By EVANS WITT
Assoclaled Press
WASHINGTON - In a painlully stow bal-
let, George Bush ls delicately stepping away
from President Reagan.
Each step ls carefully choreographed as
the caullous Republican v1ce president tries
to define what he would do as president -
without undennlnlng or angering Reagan.
Bush received a dispensation or sorts
from lhe White House yesterday 10 disagree
wllh the president
White House spokes-
man Marlin Fitzwater
told reponers. " He has
his Ideas on how he's
going to want to do
thin~. and that's fine." t
The Republi can
nominee-to-be cannot
win without convincing
Americans he ls his
own man. But he cannot ,____.__,_
break with Reagan dra· Bush
matlcally, for that
would shatter Bush's bold on the conserve•
live foundation of bis bid for the White
House. And Bush does want to be ldentltled
with low unemployment, conllnulng pros-
perity and a declining trade dellcll - an
current conditions the Reagan administra-
tion hrags about
But be ls falling tn the polls against
Democratic front-runner Michael Dukakls,
ln part because he has !ailed 10 paint a viv-
id picture or what be would do as president
As New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean said
yes1e rday, "Ronald Reagan ls a very popu-
lar man, but nobody wants a clone."
A weeklong trip through the West demon-
S1mted 1he easy and the hard choices BUSII
must make to put together a Winning COB.II·
Uon In the fall.
In the Paclllc Northwest. Bush hit hard
See BUSH
Back page, cot. I, th is section
~:~~~
Rain-around
=---o1":.':"
~ ~~ : ::,.,-,_;-.::\_ I.aw
1onlghl, So.
• Kontucky - Mo111y aunny -
and panly eunny -
wilh1h0werl ~
Ind -
. H,ghl,-
60s to mld-80s. Cloudy - ·
High 75 to 85. 0vemlghl low, IOI.
Detalo, Pago C I ~
A6

r A FIERY TRAG DY

STAFF PHOTO 8V TOOO BUCHANAN

Kentucky State troopers and retldent1 of Radcliff bowed their heads during I prayer by the Rev. W. Don Tennison of the Flrat A111mbly of God for the 27 people kllled In Saturd1y'1 bu1 cr11h.

Thousands gather to share

their heartache with others
Continued from Page One lo anger to gull!. "Maybe you'll even gel
mad at God," he said. "That's OK. He un-
edges of the field. Those at the rostrum for derstands."
the service included Gov. Wallace Wllkln- Eventually, Waggoner said, maybe
son, hls wife, Manha WIikinson, state school months or years from now, they may accept
Superintendent John Brock and several thelrloss.
area ministers.
Al 7 p.m.,astheservlce began, ffle$11ges "You must go on. You must go forward,"
of condolence from President and Nancy Waggoner said. "Th ey want you to ... they
Reagan, and Vice President George Bush really wou ld."
and his wife, Barbara, were read. At the end of the service, relatives were
Accompanied by the Fort Knox Army escorted away as the Army band played the
band, the crowd sang "A Mighty Fortress ls postlude.
Our God." Before the service, C&rlton had said she
The Rev, Leo Craycroft of St. Christopher did not expect the memorial service to an-
catholic Church read the 23rd Psalm. swer all her questJons - or heal her grief.
The Rev. W. Don Tennison of the Firs! "[ don't think we'll ever get ove r a trage-
Assembly of God, minister to most or those dy like this," she said.
who were killed, prayed thal God would
help survivors deal wllh the grief. But the people who attended did not do so
"You know the heartache, Lord. You to find all the answers, she said.
know the burden. You know the concerns They just came to help those so badly
and th e love of those that heve gathered hurt.
together. Only you, Lord God. can adminis- Said Margaret Ouslan, standing beside STAFF PHOTO BY KEITH WWAMS
ter peace 10 our hearts. comfort to our soul her: "You just want to be with them," The body of Mary 01nlel1 w11 taken trom the church during servlc11 tor her, 01nl11 Voglund and Amy WhHlock.
and strength to our bodies."
Then, Chaplain Jerry A. B. Weaver of
Fort Knox rose to read the names of the
three adults and 24 young people kllled.
" Remember lhe love we share for them,"
Weaver said before be started. "Remember
Mourners look to God in hope as bus victims' funerals begin
Ule loss lhat we suffer. This Is a lime of By DAVID CAZA RES er students at Radcliff Middle - were an afterllfe. pathy, of course, are Inadequate," Craycrott.
remembering, a lime of grieving." Staff Writer killed In the fiery era.sh, which occurred Craycroft also shared memories of the said. "But I know I speak for the entire
Then, at 7:29, Weaver slowly read the when a pickup truck traveling north In the three girls. community when I say we're sorry with you
names, starting with 13-year-Old Jennifer RADCLIFF, Ky. - Radcli ff resldenlS southbound lanes of Interstate 71 slammed Family members of Denise Voglund told and we grieve wllh you and we pray with
Arnett, ending with Il-year-old Cllad Witt. shared their grief yesterday at the first fu- Into a bus owned by the First MSembly of him that sbe was a "lllougbtful child, alway, you - and that we Jove you."
Relatives of the victims, who were seated nerals for victims of Saturday night's bus God church In Radcliff. No one was at Rad- thanking ber parents and grandparents." He asked for prayers for all thn,e who
Immediately in front of the rostrum. had crash and at an emoUon-filled memorial curr Middle SChool yesterday. II and seven He said Amy Wheelock, who was "sincere have been affecled by Ille crash, "especially
remained subdued. As the names were service. others In northern Hardin County were and reverent." Is now wltb her grandmoth- the children who are In the hospital."
read, several sobbed. "Tbe sadness of death gives way to the closed yesterday and today so that teachers er, who died two months ago. The service ended as "Amazing Grace"
"Where do broken hearts go?" Waggoner bnghl promise or lmmortallly. For fallllful and students could attend funerals. And Mary Daniels onen stopped by !he was played softly by a plano-end·flute duel
asked after the names had been read. "CSn people, lire Is changed. no! ended," said !he Inside St. Christopher, the whlle and rose church to pray on her way to 9Chool, he A procession of hearses and mourners made
they eve r find their way home again?" Rev. Leo Craycrott at a tuneral M8 at St caskets of Denise, Mary and Amy were be- said. "Mary believed wllh all her heart Illa!
Those close to the victims can find com- Christopher Church for three of the victims low Ute altar, surrounded by nowers. Fam- God would be her refuge In life and In tis way lo nearby North Hardin Memorial
Gardens tor the burials.
fort In their faith, said Waggoner, of the - Mary Cslberyn Daniels, 14; Denise Ellen Illes had placed more nowers on each cas- death."
SU!hlon Bapllst Church. Voglund, 13; and Amy Christine Wheelock, ket, along with a picture of their loved one. Among the mourners were relatives, Services were also held yesterday for
" Are you weary, are you heavy-laden? H . Alter bymns and scripture readings. Cray-friends and classmates of the tbree girls., four of the other victims - Julie AM Ear-
Tell It to Jesus." More than 500 people filled the church cron told mourners that the souls ot tbe Including several survivors of the crasb. But nest, 12; Joshua Conyer,, 14; Tina Michelle
And, Waggoner said, those grieving could and overflowed onto the grounds, where three girls were ''In tbe hands of God and others were there also, Including soldiers Mustain, H ; and Chad Whll., 14.
find comfort In the community, also. loudspeakers had been placed. they're at peace." from nearby Fort Knox. Radcliff officials planned !he service to
"We're rooting for you," he said. "Our SL Cllrtslophe(s sllS on a wooded hill Craycron said Illa! just as Christ had wept People connecled wllll Ille tragedy say II help resident! of the community of abOut
sympathy goes out to you. Our prayers go overlooking the Radcliff Middle SChool, "bitter tears" al Ille dealh of his friend ha, touched everyone In the community. 20,000 come to term., wltb the tragedy. The
out to you . .•. We want you to make ll" where the lhree girls bad been in the eighth Lazarus, "We are here lhls morning to Many were at the service yesterday Just to stadium seals about 2,400 people, but more
Waggoner said those grieving would have grnde. share our pain and our grief." He said the show they care. bleachers and chairs were set up to In-
to live through several stages - from shock Twenty-seven people - Including 13 oth· famllles can take comfort In the promise of "My condolences and expressions of sym- crease lls capacity to about 4,000.

About 5,000 people filled the North Hardin High School football stadium IH1 night tor the memorial service. " Remember the love we 1har1 tor them," one clergyman 11ld.
A 1£ ~EA IQJRNAL, F, lAY MAY .10 188_

Action promised on bus safety Seat padding speeds bus fires ,.;;~~:,.a~·:~~e~u~fso':.~~:~

COntlnued from Page One missioner of the Vehicle Regulation

Patients' Continued from Page One
as petroleum," said Moms Adams,
Inches per minute. Ralph Hitchcock ~·m!s''ii~ft"~i!;; 1 ~'\;~~.,8~
alcohol after legal hours. Departmeo~ said It Jnspecls huses
• Increased efforts by the C8bl- only when the bus operator ask.st or, conditions killed 21 people In a chun:h group ~r.11:,e A~~1~:ra:!fw!b1c!ra~~ N.
returning from Kins, Island In an the rules, saJd this week the stan·
~
One state - New Mexico - and
net for Buman Resources to educate occasionally, wben a group of buses
: d~n"~al~%b~;g~o~t:.~d a~~ ::~~l~;'fuesc.:!J.1f.,tricls have
,'::~~':J
people aboul lbe dangers or alcohol Is parked al one site, such as Here Is a list or lbe condi-
tions yesterday or lbe young- ~!%i:~oo~~~ 1!h:11s~;e
aod drug ahuse. Chun:hUI Downs oo Derby Day.
sters still hospitalized from Sat- lbe crash but died of smoke lobala- denls. "We looked at II as an Investment
Wllklosoo declined 10 say yester- ''Tbat doesn't happen very often."
day whether Kentucky needs a Reeder said, so. "as a practical mat- urday's bus crash near Csrroll-
ton. tlo~ growing number of school om- co~~::. 0 ~~~':!
o::~~~cc~~~~:al~ ~:.i:Zi;nf!t ~~b:..i:.iR:\::::
stronger law agaJnst drunken ter," private buses 1n Kentucky are
driving lbao lbe statute enacted In unregulated.
t984. Many or the state's prtvate buses, Kosalr Cblldren's Hospital
- Kim Dennis improved from
r.: 1
::df:'~t ~~;:ns ~n~ ;:!1:.'i~\!j~rt~r':.~rsw~ed u:'!
~~l:,e:~~~~:. ~I \ : e w~':J,Ye
gers lo collisions also bums rapidly Jan. 2t, 1984, collision between a highly !Ire-retardant seats.
However, be said in a statement Including the one that was struck on and greatly accelerates a fire's school bus and an empty gasoline Other sch~l otnclals - lnclud-
lbat be bad ordered his stat! aod l-71, were built before Aprtl t, 1971, crttlcal to !air, David Walliser
upgraded to good from !air, :~~~ oloe people
~= ::~1~~
cabinet to analyze the current taw when stricter federal safety stan- sp~ed. padding also emlls toxtc ~ni'.'st~:c1~t ~:r~as!:::rt1:'~r.;- :~d ~:;
and recommend stronger enforce- dards took effect Katrina Mueller from critical
to serious; Aaron Conyers, Har- chemicals when burned, which But Stewart ftnd others cited 8 materials but were put oft by re--
~~t,:/urning e~~a~~~~~
ment measures. Reeder is exploring tougher regu-
He also ordered Transportation latlons for buses made before that
Secretary Milo D. Bryant to review date, but federal law may preclude
bus-safety regulatlons and lnspec- sta1' regulatloo of lbose buses, om-
tlon requirements. and to ask bus clals said.
manu/acturers to review private Officers of the department's Dlvl-
old Deools and Quentin Hig-
gins remained In crttlcal condl·
tlon.
SS. Mary I Elizabeth Hospi-
~:l~~k:u~/'t."
tn ";:;r~u!n~:nJ, :nthheut!~

~~~
=f~
~'::mi::, !7~.'t~u~: :~
1 th
~~~rd::::.~
I~~~:~ .Z:!1~1i;e:i:
po~et~~ci1:::1 a~ nr~=b!iien-

s1:f~~c1,.~poc~~lo~rob:: nl~..~: :r:g ~~r:,-;:.d:~:!

~:dJ:c~~~1:'~~t:~

tal - Jennifer Scoville re-

buses and school buses In the state slon of Motor Vehicle Enforcemen~ Safely Council who recently reUred lban 10 years ago. pickup truck wns powered by gaso-
for safety shortcomln~
"I will take whatever steps are
necessary to ensure the safety of
who have police powers. may join
state police at roadblocks to catch
drunken drivers.
mained In serious condition.
Humana Hospllal-Unlvenl-
ty of Louisville - Darrto Ja-
: ~:t~~C::n~h:!~m:::: Fl: ~e:~c~e:~h~~a~:~:r
more than a half-dozen fires lo an reau of Standards lo Gaithersburg,
~~~ ~r~n;bl~~~:ti?!m:'t!e~e : ~ :
grees below zero. By contrast, va-
1
:e~~![.e~~: :::,sopnro~ln n:! The extra workers may help re- ques Improved from serious to
!air, carey Aurenz, Claran
artlcle tor lbe Amertcan School Md., said seals 00 a city bus _ with
Board Journal last November. covering, that meet the federal
pors from diesel fuel, used Jo ao
Increasing number of buses, ;p not
regulations it necessary, special le~ r~~~ ~~,~~ o~~r : : ~ f~~
1
Foren and Kristle Pearman re- Investigators are examining lbe standard _ are "the most probable become nammable untll theyireach
lslatloo I! needed, and slrengthen addltlooal roadblocks. O!!lclals said mained In critical condition; role of the seats In the fire that coo- cause of hamrd" once 8 tire begins. more than 100 degrees.
~~;r.~~~ I~:! ~o~~
enforcement throughout the com- they are looldng for state and feder- Joseph Pearcefel and Kimber- 7
monwealth," al money to cover the cost. ly Farmer remained in fair su!!1T':e::~ ~oui;f:u:~hat they did of ::r:::itt~'::~ t~:P~f,o~lr:i:: urr~~h
The state Department of Educa- State police spokesman John LIie condition. lead to the extension of the fire, and that thick, heavy smoke can reducehave needed heat from another
tion, wblcb ls responsible for school· said the agency would have to study there's no doubt they did emit toxic vlslblllty to nothing In Jess than two
source - such as the exhaust sys.,
bus safely, Is monltortng lbe lovestl- bow lbe 1984 druokeo-drtvlng Jaw fumes," Kentucky Fire Marshal Bill minutes and fire can spread from tern - to become capable of lgolt·
gallon or the 1-11 crash to see has tuoctloned before making aoy Martln said. But he said he couldn't seat to seat - as survivors said Sat- Ing. said Martin, lbe !Ire marshal.
whether stronger safety regulations recommendations about changes. determine how much the seats may urday's fire traveled. It recommend- Otllclals of school systems and
are needed, spokesman Jim Parks One change already favored by Charles Martin, deputy secretary have contributed to the spread of ed reducing the risk by placing a bus manufacturers said more die--

~~C:ru~~~ =:! ~o~~

of the cabinet, said Waler Patrol or- lbe !tre or to the deaths. rtre-reslstaot barrter beoealb lbe sel-powered buses are being liought
sa~.ost private buses In Kentucky :!~t ficers will be stationed at docks and · carron County Coroner James seat covering. each year and that diesel sales
~~ S::tsh~0 1::
are former school buses, like the conviction. 15 1

i:.~~e~::~~t:::~~; :~~= : ~:~~!~:~ra!,~: ~1~;i~!~ls~ic£:;:::: ::=· ::::

one In the 1-71 accident The law says that a driver wtth a ramps to catch drunken boaters be- ::a~~=th~ul:J~ p:i~~tst~T:i! 0dj~f:~t~~!1~~ ppor~~!/ b~~T~~~:tlon=
Once a school bus passes from blood-alcohol level of 0.1 percent or fore th ey get Into their cars. fumes played a role In the deaths. fire-resistant materials, manufactur- scbool-bus-ch8$ls manufacturer,
public to private bands, Its safety Is more ls presumed to be Intoxicated, 11
the responsibility of the state De- but the driver can present evidence ~a~:f. P:1" ·~
partment of Vehicle Regulation, to refute the test.
which enforces federal standards on Ule said state police would like The C&blnet !or Human R~ burned In lbe crash, said his pa- panles lbat are orrertng the matert- But safely wns oot a !actor lo lbe
trucks and buses.
However, the department's safety
Inspectors do most of their work at
the test to be considered a definite
finding of drunkenness, not just a
presumption.
sources Is looldng at bow Its sub-
stance-abuse programs might be Im-
~:::· e~~~~c~n~, b~f ~:1~~:~t1:; :tt
chemicals. He could not say what
:dth;lw!:v~h~~unf ~~c:n~e~
their orders Include requests tor the
sh~~ made a lot of good economic
sense and we did I~" said John Mc·
truck weigh stations. Buses are not Enforcement of the drunken- proved, said Brad Hughes, spokes- chemicals. seats. which cost about $30 more Donald, spokesman for Navistar.
required to stop at weigh stations. so drtvlng taw has been a prtortly tor man tor the agency. Martin said be saw foam-rubber each, or about $660 per bus. He said diesel engines last longer
they are rarely Inspected, said Ste- state potlce In recent years, but now He said Mental Health CommJs. padding In the bus when be exam- Even an official of a firm that de- and need fewer repairs.
phen Reeder, deputy secretary and the state Water Patrol, part of the stoner DeMls Boyd asked the sub- lned It Sunday. When burned, he veloped a fire-resistant seat doubts
general counsel of the state Trans- Natural Resources and Envlronmen- stance-abuse division to see "It said, the foam emits hydrogen cya- It would have been much help Satur- lnronnatlon tor th/1 1t0f)' wn alto
portaUon C.blneL tal Protectloo C&blne~ will also be there was anything lbat might be nlde gas. which Is very toxtc. lo ad- day olghL gathered by Larry Blllberg.
Reeder and Marjorie Klee, com- Involved. 1
done In lbat area." t~~o:a~e 0~ ~h:i1'b~ca~~ :;:
• dru bo •t d f Jin
C0 IombIan g ss conVIc e O smugg g
19 cars and a Bavarian-style resort reputation tor extreme violence at·
nl;~·w!usa rs;::.-;~,
another tolic gas, vinyl chloride.
~t~~~i-
ferent company from lbe one that
Gas-tank cage need disputed
•

Continued from Page One

In the Colombian mountains. lracted most of the attention during made the bus burned In Nashville. Continued from Page One object that would have moved be-
government of Prime Minister Lyn- But officials had described tbe trial. Lehder returned to Colom- An official of Superior's parent com- tween the bars of the cage.
den Pindllng, Lehder served as the Lehders case as critical, It only to ~:;1~~~ t~~~Sn°;_~~ :ifi~, ::Yw:~d tfees~:i%nsh~o ~~dcon~~ : : :
1
!U:~~
~:~7n~n~~c~~r! Hl~:;;;1~a~~~~ ~~~~~!
s:: :f
cariel's chief of transportation - 8
1dat 18~~ge to cartel leaders party and run for the Colombian pany's 1977 models were made of. Is supposed to absorb an Impact at tlon, which wrote the regulation re-
r~~n:;~:ga =!Yq~~!~:~: "Tbls has got to shake them a lit- Senate. However, omclals of three olber 30 mph without leaking. qulrtng gas-tank cages. could not
caine from Colombia, using neets of ue bl~" Merkle said. "H's got to dis- Forging an anti-American alliance bus makers said polyurethane, or Typically, the cages are co~ruct- explain yesterday whether they are
private aircraft, hidden airstrips rupt their peace of mind, because with Colombia's left-wing M-IB guer- rubber foam, has long been used al· ed of tubular steel, with several Intended to prevent punctures or
and radar to avoid detection.
A1so convicted In the case was
they know we're coming atter ro1:8ti!-'~~%eo:r:~et.f.ho~;a~~
th th
m1ec1~:~~!Y :1n~~~~!u:itk- ~~~~n:~ :d ta~~caJ bars that ::r~gn!:::t~h;eta?o~eB~: J:~
Lehder's co-defendan~ Jack Reed, ~~";;~~;~r:~ly ink eir days forcement Administration officials. ly seat coverin~ may burn - four Martin said the location of the urday's collision might have defeat-
57, a one-time cartel lieutenant and
plloL
With Its diverse cast of 115 wit· In a February 1985 interview
nesses. the Lebder trial also offered from a jungle hideaway, Lebder de-
hole - on the front of the 60-gallon ed any protective device.
gasoline tank - and pictures be bas Martin saJd only a solid b;J";ead
a
~:~~~!
Wearing a gray business suit and 1
dotted blue tie, Lehder stared with- i~:~o:::i"~/~~~e:1:::~ ~~~1:~!1: ~ra;Fi~~I~~:; Former U of L players ':.~1i;.;ih• ~~es ~a;ew!~a~= ;n:u:rsas_lbm~t":!e ~reve~f'~
out expression as the jury an- drug tra!!lcklng. "revolullonary weapon against set up a benefit game pierced the tank probably would the rupture.
nounced Its verdict In the heavily A former cellmate testl!led lbat North Amert can lmpertallsm." have passed between the bars or the Although his report will not be
guarded courtroom yesterday. But Lebder, who moved from Colombia Lehder also spoke of his admiration From Stalf and Spedal Dispatches cage. complete for several weeks, Martin
In a heartng to dlscus!i possible ap- to New York as a teen-ager, plotted for Adolf Hitler, who he said had ''In this situation, the way this ac- said In an Interview that the fuel
peal motions three hours later, his rise lo lbe drug trade 14 years "eliminated 21 mllllon Commu- Several former Uolverslly or Lou- cldent occurred, lbat cage would tank probably wns punctured by an-
Lehder resumed the demeanor be ago wblle to federal prtson In Dan- nlsls." lsvllle basketball players will play a have had little or no errect." other piece or lbe bus displaced lo
maintained for much of the long trl· bury, Conn., on marijuana-posses- But Lehders world already had benefit game for the families of Federal Investigators said the colllslon. ,
al - relaxed and cocky, with an oc- slon charges. Poring over maps lo begun to unravel by then. Pressed those who died in the bus crash. Wednesday they were not ready to In addition to the bole, safety-
casional Impish grin !or spectators. the prtsoo library to Identity poten- by U.S. omclats. Colombia's then- The game will be at 7:3-0 p.m. May reach the same conclusion. Jean Fa- board lnvestlgators report(<! Ibis
He faced a maximum sentence of tlal smuggling routes. Lehder want· President Beleserto Betancur signed 26 at Valley High School. Admission sone, the Natlonal Transportatlon week that lbe fuel tank hi¥! l?ee•
t5-0 years plus ll!e lo prtsoo. ed to "dlsrupl lbe polltlcal system" an order extradlUng Lebder tn 1984. Is SI. Robbie Valentine, a Radell!! sare1y Board's chief lnvestlgator or pushed back 26 Inches and~ one
"He fully Intends to appeal ... by flooding the United States with After a pre-dawn shootout at a native, organized the bene!IL the crash, said her team will study or the two straps that !astea~·lt to
1
and expects to be vindicated," said cocaine, the cellmate saJd. ranch near Medellin, Lehder was Those expected tu play Include whether a cage wou ld have mini- the bus. ·

::i: =e :~1.u~:
1 1 .J •
Edward Shoha~ Lebder's lawyer. 1
Sbohat brought lbe trial to an abrupt to I;"~tt:~:!!'
h~o:o~e::. ~~~~ ~~~ec:,~o~::~"'f:~l~z ::~, A~~erWll:cC~~n, !1;~ m:; ~~:::~0~1::.:iu~a~~~ befd ~~:t~n
end last week when he rested with· to testimony, taking over Norman's extradited tor trial.

·=: fr==============================~==:,
Mcswain, Chris West and Valentine. tank could have been pierced by an in an even larger hole, Martin said.
out presenting evidence. 11
Law~nforcement officials have );".;; ~:ru~::8i!~n~o"ra:
acknowledged lbat Lehder's capture l.ehder operated lbe Island wllb
during a shootout wt year In the military-style dlsclplloe, deploying
Colombian jungle has done Jillie to radar, Gennan and Colombian
disrupt lbe cartel. Hls rote In cartel armed guards and attack dogs In
operations had faded In recent protect airstrips and caves hiding
years as he pursued his revolution- large cocaine caches.
ary politics and reveled In a nam- For all lbe dramatic testimony,
boyant !ugttlve lifestyle: He owned Lebder's personal eccentricities and

Bush moves away from Reagan

ConUoued from Page One only one meaning of "justice."
This care!ut wording didn't draw
on protecting the environmen~ pro- the attention Bush wanted and thus
claiming that the government must dldn1 deal wllb lbe problem.
do more. He didn't directly crtUclze At every stop, reporters shouted
lbe administration, but he did break questlom on Noriega. Bush would
wtth Reagan on one 1$ue Monday. smile and just say nolblng.
Bush said he would act to stop the Wednesday brought yet another
sources of acid rain. The admlnJs. e!fo~
tratlon advocates more study before "Drug dealers are domestic ter-
taking action. rorists, killing kids and cops and
Th is was an easy one for Bush, Ibey should be treated as such,"
for the environment ls close to a Bush said at lbe Los Angeles Police
motherhood Issue. In addition, acid Academy. "I won't bargain with ter-
rain Is not a burning 1$ue for Rea- rorists and I won't barplo with
gan, nor Is It one that is central to drug dealers either, whether they
the basic GOP constituencies. are on U. S. or foreign soil."
The hard choices for Bush come He didn't say Nortega. And aides
In packages like lbe admlnlstratloo's were quick to say be was nol talking
dealings wllb Panamanian strong- about the current situation, only
man Manuel Noriega. what be would do In the future.
The Justice Department Indicted There was no doubt that Bush
Noriega for Involvement In drug. wanted to leave the Impression that
running. but the White House Is he simply would not cut a plea-bar-
lblnklog or dropping the lndlctmeols gaining deal wllb Nortega. To say It
If the general will give up power. clearly, however, would have been
Bush's first reaction was to say crtUcal or Reagan. So Bush tried to
that talking about sensitive matters say It without saytng IL
ls a mistake. or course, the White Bush also !aces lbe problem or
House was talking - albeit careful- commenting on the legal scandals
ly - about lbe negotlatlons. swirling around Attorney General
Nert the vice president said he Edwin Meese. The vice president
wanted Noriega out of Panama, has chosen not to comment, so al·
leaving the lmpr~lon that drop- most every day reporters ask wheth·
ping the charges was all rtght. er he thinks Meese should resign.
Then, Bush took another ap- Bush aides Jalk privately about Shively Bashford Manor
proach. He said last Friday In San the need for him to step away from Fri., May 20, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Diego that he wanted Noriega Reagan, but they say Bush continues Sat., May 21 , 12noonto 5 p.m.
"brought lo justice." 10 argue the time Is not yet ripe for
Thal meant he was against drop- definitive moves.
ping the lndlclment, rtgbt? Bush Bush 's problem, as an aide once Phone Your Order 456-5000
wouldn't say and neither would said, Is that he Is the Velcro candl·
aides. He was Intentionally vague, date - everything sticks to him. To
_..,"--- ·
Dr. Sl,od~s Svngfos~s A vo;loble In GMs' Dept. - Bashford Manor, Galleria, St. Moffllews, Shively, Jeffersonville
for bringing someone Into court Is win In the fall, lhat must change.
 IN SPORTS
From coach
to hotwalker
METRO EDITION, 188 PAGES, *******
Mayl4,1988
As survivors remember it
Tliis account of the collision involving
the b11s from the Rodcli/1 First Assembly
of God is based on the recollections of 26
people. Nineteen of the 40 survivors con-
sented to interviews, as did seven people
who stopped to render aid.
By GIDEON GIL
and ANDREW WOLFSON
Staff Writers
C limbing aboard thei r bus at Kings
Island ror the long ride home, the 66
members and guests of the youth group
LIFE selected thei r seals, not knowing
their choices would prove the most Im·
portant or their lives.
Kristen WIiiiams. 14, had sal In the
back that morning on tbe ride from the
Radcliff First Assembly or God, which
sponsored the outi ng to the amusement
par~ north of Cincinnati. But she moved
up to the fourth row on the return trip lo
be near her mother, Joy.
Juan Holl, 17, had Mddea In the third
row in the morning because ''I get in trou-
ble when I sit in the back." When he
boarded tor 1he return trip, he saw three
girls In his seat, so he found space In the
sixth ot the bus's 11 rows.
On several of the 39-lnch-wide benches,
Lack of escape routes cost many young lives
By GIDEON GIL
and ANDREW WOLFSON
StatrWrlters
Nineteen o( the survivors of the May I ~
bus crash near Carroll!on, Ky., have con-
firmed In Interviews that the lone emer-
gency exit In the rear, the quick spread of
fire. cramped conditions and panic com-
bined to increase the loss of me.
"There's ao way you'd get 67 people off
a bus alive, especia lly through one door,"
said David Walliser, 14, one o( the survi·
vors. "Fire, panic and all that kind of
stutr - it's nearly Impossible."
Two more inmate•
, caught near Eddyville
Escapees Floyd Cook ot Gravel
Switch and Leo Spurling of
Louisville were captured yesterday
about 2 miles trom the Kentucky
Stale Penitentiary at Eddyville.
First spotted about 2 a.m.
yesterday, they were caught about
7:30 a.m.
One other Inmate, Robert
Shermt1n. 30, of Lily, was returned
to the prison Friday. Five others
who also fled Thursday were sUII
at large last night.
s·tory, Page a 1.
Art• - - - - - Section I
8u1ine11 _ _ _ _ $ection E
Claaslfled ads _ B 13, Secflon G
Death,~- - - - B 12, 13
Features _ _ _ _ Section H
Forum _ _ _ _ section D
Racing retult1 _ _ c 16, 17
Real Est.ate _ _ _ Section F
Sports _ _ _ _ sectlon C
COPYRIGHT © 1988, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KV . A GANNETT NEWSPAPER
four children squeezed Into space meant
for three. And even with three to a seat,
feet and legs and stuffed animals spilled
Into the fool-wide aisle.
With the bus at Its capaclly, there were
seats tor all. Yet the close quarters un-
nerved Jonie Padgett. a friend of Joy Wil-
liams and one of four adults on the trip.
"I fell uneasy," she recalled. " I kepi say-
ing to myself, 'What 11 .• . ?' "
Everyone was on board shortly before
9 p.m. Brother Chuck Kytta, the youth·
group leader whose charges fondly called
him ''Banana" because his name sounded
like "Chiquita," stood al the rronl and be·
gan to lead a prayer.
Janie
Padgett, 45,
managtd to
1queeze
through a 9·
by-24-inch
window. She
10018 guilty
attlmeo
because the
"got out so
fast"
STAFF PHOTO
8YT0008UetWlAN
"The problem was mainly that every-
body was trying to get out the door at
once and falling down on top of one an-
other," said Jamie Hardesty, 16, a passen-
ger who pulled to safety many of those
who had fallen.
The VITeck occurred as the bus was re-
turning 67 people lo the Radcliff First As-
sembly of God after a day at Kings Island
near Cincinnati. Twenty-seven people
were killed.
Pollce say the accident was caused by
a drunken driver traveling the wrong way
on Interstate 71. but once It happened,
the other factors came into play. Of the
Ashland case fuels debate on anti-racketeering law
By BEN Z. HERSHBERG
and SUSAN TOMPOR
Business Writers
The $69 mllllon verdict against Ashland
011 Inc. would have been far smaller had It
not been for a law originally intended to
stem organized cri me.
The case might not even have gone to
tnal.
John McColl, who led the legal fight
against Ashland on behalf of a former vice
president who charged he was illegally
fired In 1983, says he couldn't have kept up
the expensive, rour-year battle without the
An amazing
'Gracehoper'
Arts, Page 11
FEATURES
The youthful challer stilled as he
spoke.
"Please grant us a sale tnp," said lhe
34-year-old bank loan officer. "May God
have his hand on this bus."
As John Pearman, lhe 37-year-old
associate pastor and the driver of the bus,
prepared to leave Radcliff that Saturday
morning, May 14, he grabbed an ax and a
tire extinguisher from a second church
bus and put them on board. "We never
had a need for them," he told a knot of
parents, "but I always like to be prepared
in case we do."
Because of the large turnout, some chil-
dren suggested laking both buses, and old·
er teen-agers ottered to drive their own
cars. But Kytta vetoed bolh suggesllons,
saying splitting up would make It Impossi-
ble to supervise everyone.
The bus's aisle was so difficult to nego-
tiate that when Kytta asked Stephanie
Howard, 15, to move from a cramped
first-row seat to the rear, he told her to
gel otf, go behind the bus and climb in
through the emergency door.
The youngest children on board were
10 years old, the oldest youth was 19.
There were 67 In all, Including Pearman
See MAY 14, 1988
PAGE 14, col. I, this secllon
~O su rvivors. 19 consented to interviews
with The Courier-Journal, and their ac-
counts of the second-worst bus wreck In
U.S. history revealed that:
• All the victims were seated In the
front seven rows, and almost all were in
the first five.
• Although fire broke out in the front
of the bus within seconds after Impact,
seven passengers In the first five rows
escaped - some in remarkable fashion.
Corey Aurentz, In the first row, dashed
See CONGESTION
PAGE 14, col. 2, this section
_ e_k-ep-t-As-hl-an_d_tri-al_m_ov-in-g-at_a_ :~~~ :~:n~Po~~
. -Ju-dg
switt, smooth pace. Page E 1.
large legal fees for his firm.
chance of triple damages for bis client and s1! ~~- 1:~a~ a ~o:'ra11~~!ni~
The case adds fuel to the heated national plied not only to criminal cases but also 10
debate among lawyers over use of the Rack- civil suits Initiated by Individuals.
eteer-Innuenced and Corrupt Organizations
Act.
Legal scholars on one side say the law they won cases against those involved in a
and Its severe penaltles must be applied pattern of illegal ln1erstate actiVl ty.
equally to violators - whether they are
white-collar criminals or the mob.
On the other side, scholars say RICO pen- against organized-crime figures.
IN THE MAGAZINE
Nature lovers'
favorite places
• SUNDAY JUNE 19 1988 SINGLE COPY $1,25
Target of defense probe
may have been tipped off
by ex-secretary of Navy
By RONALD J. OSTROW
and WILLIAMS C. REMPEL
0 The Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON - Federal investigators
are trying to determine whether former
Navy Secretary John Lehman warned de-
fense consultant Melvyn Paisley that his
telephones were tapped during an Investiga-
tion of defense-contract fraud .
Federal law-enforcement sources said
Paisley, a former assistant Navy secretary ASSOCIATEOPRl:SSPHOlOS
and a close friend of Lehman's, Is a central Former Navy Secretary John Lehman,
tlgure In the FBl's investigation of Pentagon leflt may have warned defense
bnbery, fraud and leaks. The probe Is be· con1ultant Melvyn Paisley that hi s
lleved to be the largest In the nalion's de- phone was tapped by investigators.
lense..:ontractlng history.
In another development. FBI agents seek- ment books and calendars. and any infor~
Ing search warrants told a judge last week mation about Tallla's meelln~ si nce 198~
thal engine-maker Pratt & Whitney appar- with Paisley and his business panner, Wil·
ently bad been leaked copies or bid propos- liamGalvin.
als from tis cble! Mval, General Electnc Co. Tailla, Paisley and Galvin couldn't be
The two companies were competing for reached for comment.
Pentagon contracts worth hundreds of mil· Lehman's alleged warning to Paisley -
lions or dollars. signs of which surfaced during a wiretap -
The search warrants served on Eugene took place before Lehman left office Jn
Tallia, a vice president and bead of the Apnl 1987, said sources close to the lnvesli•
Washington office or Pratt & Whitney, gallon. They emphasized that the informa-
showed that the firm had obtained copies of tion is, as one source phrased it, "nothing
GE's proposals on two aircraft engines. close" to strong enough to warrant charges
The FBI apparently Is lrying to find out against Lehman.
how Pratt & Whitney obtained the dOCU· Today's Washington Post, however,
ments, which wom-J have included details quoted a source who claimed that the al-
on price and warranty guarantees - Infor-
mation of obvious value to a competitor. See DEFENSE-CONTRACT
The warrant also sought Tallia's appoint- Back page, col. I, th is section
Poor accounting may spur
fresh criticism of OSM
By ROBERT T. GARRETT congressional scrutiny and have prompted
Slaff Writer an internal audit in the U. S. Office of Sur-
face Mining.
WASHINGTON - The federal program Two weeks ago Robert E. Boldt, deputy
that pays for cleaning up old strip mines hasOSM director, ordered rour accountants
kept such poor records that It cannot tell from OSM's finance center In Denver to
coalfield states how much money they've come to Washington to try to straighten out
received or how much they're owed from the mess. "These numbers have bounced
their share of a federal coa l tax. around too much over the past few
Orficials who oversee the Abandoned months," Boldt said Friday. "As an accoun-
Mine Land Program acknowledge that the tant, I wanted to go In there and make sure
record-keepi ng problems may create sub- this stopped."
stanlial pollllcal fallout on C.pllol HIii and However, critics doubt OSM can produce
an accurate accounting.
"Their accounting procedures bave been
Incredibly lax - probably the worst In the
The states, which are lo gei $160 million federal government," said Andrew McEI·
from lhe program Ibis year (Kentucky is to walne, an aide to Sen. John Heinz, R·Pa. ··1
get aboul SI 7 million: Indiana about $5.5 don't think they can properly accou nt for a
million), already were feuding over the sys- nickel," Pennsylvania is one of the states
tem used to award money from another
port or the fund. See POOR ACCOUNTING
The accounting problems have attracted Back page, col. I, this section
Mother Teresa urges 'tender love and care'
" Right here in this beautiful country, in this beautiful city,
see that no man, no woman , no chlld - not even the
IJ!'. .i---:::)11 unborn chlld - Is unwanted," Mother Teresa implored her
audience In Louisville yesterday.
· At a theological conlerence, the winner or the 1979
Nobel Peace Prize spoke of the need to help tho ill, the
homeless and the poor.
Story, Page 8 1.
';e~:~~~S:: ;~~~~!~f~ " Frankly, would you sue a mobste r'"
asked Mork P. Cohen, managing cdnor of
against legitimate busines.5e5. The RICO Law Reporter. which tracks such
1
:J
1 0
t~~
battle against organized crime. The law op-
cases.
Instead, RICO hos been used - and, c;omc
business groups cha rge, misused - morr
frequently in ci vil cuses against leg1tirno1r
businesses.
The incentive: Private parties cou ld col- RICO, which ddincs racketeering hrn3t1
tect triple damages plus attorney's fees i r ly, has been applied to such moJnr cnmpn
nles as Sheorson Lehman Bros. and llltarhi
Last yea r, 990 civil RICO cases were hied
But reality got in the way of the th eory -
and few civil cases have been brought SrcASflthr,ID
Dack pace, col.J, 1h1'i:-cc1mn
Warm alarm
• Louisville area - Mostly sunny
Carter reflects today and tomorrow. High today, 91;
tomorrow, 93. Low tonight 67.
• Kentucky - Mostly sunny 1oday
on retirement and tomorrow. Highs today , upper
80s and low 90s; tomorrow, near 90
10 nud-90s. Lows tomgh1, tow 60s to
Forum, Page D 1 low 70s.
Details, Page B 2.
A 14 NAl A'J 19

May 14, 1988

------------------

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'----===---===::......:===---===~===--'-"-'-"---'==----------:s:::1,,=-,::
continued from Page One
- 3S glrls. 21! boys end tbe four adults.
Many were active In the church's youth
~up LIFE. an acronym for Life ls For
Everyone.
They lived In Radcliff end Vine Grove
and Rlneyville and Fort Knox and Elim·
bethlown and Ekron.
Cynthie Anne Alherion, 13. In the first
row, had just had her braces removed. Pa·
tricla Susan Nunnallee, I0, In the second
ro"'· had recently placed third In an Opti-
mists Oub speech contest.
Tammy Darnell, 16, was making her sev-
enth church trip to Kin~ Island, even
though at 4 feet 9, she was too shon for
many rides.
Chaperone Janie PedgelL 45, bed been to
the park only once before, In 1976, and the
trip was miserable: The family car was
nearly ruined In a hailstorm, and her son
almost drowned In a motel pool.
By some measures. this day et Kings Is-
land also was miserable.
Tbe wait for some rides was as long as
four hours; the line for the spine-tingling
Vortex roller coaster stretched three-
quarters of tbe way across the park.
Indeed, a recorded announcement at the
park's front gate droned: "For your com·
STMF PHOTO BY TOOO BUCHN-.AN
Tom Hertz, 15, saw the pickup
adlng toward the bul and
thought, "No, w, won't get fn •
wreck, tha1 never happens to me. "
fort, convenience and enJoyment, may we
sug,i:est }'OU visit another day'.'"
" Everyone laughed," said David Walliser,
14.
But most of the children had fun, drench·
Ing themselves on the Amazon Falls water
ride. thrilling themselves on others.
At the end or tbe day, es they Slopped to
buy pretzels on their way to the bus. Joy
WIiiiams. 34, pointed to a penny end 1old
Padgett to pick II up.
It seemed a little silly to Padgett but WII·
Iiams Insisted. "See a penny, pick It up,"
she said. "The rest of the day you'll have
good luck."
Padgett put the penny In ber pocket.
The bus was supposed 10 leave at 8:30
p.m. sharp, but several boys. Including
Chad \Vitt. 14, were late: they had gone
back Into the park to win stuffed animals
for their girlfriends.
Witt returned with a 2-fool crayon for
April MIiis. 15.
Some children asked If they could stay
even later, to watch the fireworks at 11. But
Kyttn said no. He didn't want them to sleep
late the next morning and mlss church.
. ..
u::US::TRA:;:TIOH=ev-;,srr;;V£;; -;0"1;; ; ; :,.
Besides, many or the children, like of him, but be grew Impatient.
Tammy Darnell, bod only one thought In
mind: "I wanted to get bome and crawl Into
bed."
A four-wheel-drive Toyota pickup
hurtled into the right front corner of the
Earlier, he had felt a breeze through an
open window. In an Instant. be bounded
over three rows of seats toward that win-
dow - actually moving toward the fire.
A clock on a billboard reed 9:02 es Peer· bus. ripping a 3-lncb gash In the bus's fuel
man wheeled the bus out of the parking lol tank, which was Just behind the front door. Tben he lunged oul headfirst
caught In the aisle, Katrine McNlckle be-
Purchased In 1987 from the Meade coun-
At ty public schools, the 1917 Superior bus was
one of the last manufactured before a fed·
some poi nt Pearman pulled off tbe eral rule requiring oddlUonal crash protec-
highway for gas, and most of the ch ildren tion for fuel tanks. Tanks on buses built
gan to choke on the thick smoke. "It felt
like there was no more ai r left." Pressed
forward by the mes.s or people, she tripped
overacooler,thenwasthrustoutthe back1n .. ,,
took advantage ot tbe pit stop, filing off the , Two seats from the back, Tammy DameU,t,
since then have been surrounded by a met-
bus through the front and rear doors. al cage. stepped Into the aisle and Instantly w ....
Katrine McNlckle, 12, bought Reese's shoved Into the last row, then Into a wlndOW"'"'
On the seat beside the pickup's driver -
Pieces. and Darrin Jaquess, 15, got some Larry W. Mahoney, a 34-year<ild chemical post, then Into the door's binges. Her colla1r 11"
"Nutty Bars." Darnell bought so much can· bone broken, she fell to tbe noor and som
dy ii ove rnowed ber Klnr:; Island souvenir worker from Owen County - sat en open one dragged her off the bus. •1 "
package of Miller Ute beer, the cans still
cup. cold. A test would later show his blood bad Hardesty, a Meade County farm boy,•
Retu rning from the restroom, Christy dashed over seats to the back exH, where ,
nearly 2½ times the alcobol necessary for
Pearman, 1-4. bumped Into her father, wbo a driver to be presumed drunk under the he round a pile of children blocking the • •
kidded her about silting with her boyfriend way. Like a fullback et tbe goal line, be
In the back. Instead of up front near him. law. dived over the heap, landing on the pave-
"Ob Dad, l love you," she responded. ment.
"Are you sure about that. k1d ?" KJm Fanner, 16, a French-born player In
"Yeah," she said. Peannao then ran his LanyFlowers.16,lotbenext-to-lest the North Hardin High School marching
hand through bis daughter's heir. row, shot forward on Impact. cutting his band, stumbled Into the aisle from her seat
Tbe group quickly reboarded. chin on the metal baron the seat In front of next to Hardesty.
McNlckle - In a move that may well him - "a straight clean cut like somebody "I remember getting to the back seal,
have saved ber life - gave her front-row took a razor blade to It." and I was pushing on people In front of
seat to 14-yea r~ld Kasbawn Etheredge be- Tom Hertz Bl.so was thrown Into a seat Katrina McNickle1 12, gave up hlr
front-row bl.II Hat to I lick child. me," she said. "Then the smoke, It got real
cause Etheredge bed become Ill. She back and brleny knocked cold, and beside black end I passed out. And l Just quit. It
moved to row eight. him, Kristen WIiiiams tumbled Into the A gymnaat, 1he lo reh1blllt1Ung
tht leg hurt In tire wreck. was like Just drifflng off."
Tbe Obregons - E. J., 13, end Monica, 15 aisle. Juan Holt. In the sixth row, pushed and
- listened to music on their headphones, carey Aurentz, 14, was thrown to the pried bis way through the aisle lo within en
as did sandy Glover, 17, and her sister, noor from her front-row aisle seat arm's reach of the rear exiL There he fell
Klm. 14. But Tammy Darnell, 9o'ho can "sleep tlng the seat In front of blm, Jumped Into and was buried under a cascade or falling
Jason Booher, 13, end Chad WIit chatted through anything." dozed through tbe crash. the aisle, fumbled with the emergency-door children. "Get off me! Get off me!" he
about bow school was almost over - only And several passengers barely felt a jolt. handle, then kicked the door open. "This yelled before losing consciousness and be-
nine more days. For a moment, there was silence. The bus Is going to blow up," he thought. Ing pulled off the bus.
Joy Williams complained that she had a children were stunned, puzzled. He kicked a cooler from the aisle and Corey Aurentz picked herself up off the
stomachache because she'd eaten too Then Stephanie Howard, looking out the Jumped out, leaving behind his comb, a pair floor in the front row and started up the
much. window at the bottom of the rear door. saw of socks end bis Bible. "I Just wanted lo get aisle. She got only a short distance before
Kytta stood beside the driver, on the a narrow trail of fire on the road. myself off the bus," be sai d. "l didn't want being stopped by the pushing. clewing
steps by tbe front door. And Jamie Hardesty saw a llne of names to die." crowd. She became disoriented, then
Katrina Mueller, 13, sat in David Wal- shoot out 10 reet from the right sid e of the He was the first passenger to make It to passed out.
User's lap in the eighth row. while COnrad bu~ safety. From ber seat In row elghL Christy Pear-
Garcia. 14, sat on Stephanie Howard's lap Within seconds, the names were inside Howard tried to follow him. But with the man couldn't squeeze Into the aisle. "I
In the back row. the stairwell, leaping from floor to ceiling. 37-lnch-wlde doorway partially blocked by wasn't too sure I was going to make It out."
Monica Obregon perched on a small cool- Tbey lit the bus like a noodllght. From the rear benches. and with other children Desperate, she climbed over a row of ,.
er In the aisle one row from the back, while the back. children saw their friends' heads trying to squeeze through too, she found seals so bot It "kind of melled" the palm of
Eric Thompson, 15, lay down in the aisle. silhouetted in a strange glow. herself In a human logjam. her right band.
Wet from rides. and with the day's heat Pearman seemed dazed, shaken. But he In the front stairwell. where he was Lurching Into the aisle, she turned to find-
giving way to cool night air, the children turned around and hollered, "Open the licked by names, Chuck Kylta raised bis her father, and saw him up front, a flrC
closed most of the windows. door and get 'em out!" hands and shouted, "Lord, I'm coming
But Padgett, who was dry and cramped Conrad Garcia, bis ribs bruised from hit· home!" e~.~~~sn~e~~;°~~m~~~dDad," she yell~
in her second-row seat, was hot. It took four Two seats behind the driver. Padgett
people to open her window. but after it was stared in horror at the growing Inferno. In "Get off the bus." She tried to move up tb
lowered, she recalled, "I felt ... son of a seconds. the flames outside the bus reached aisle to help him, but someone grabbed her
relief." halfway up 1he windows. And Inside, "The leg and she fell to her knees.
Tom Hertz saw names spreading toward
Most of the children were sleeping. or at names moved back so fast, I remember
least trying to doze off. thinking, 'Oh Goel! We're in trouble!' I his founh-row seat.
thought we were all doomed. "I've seen those signs that say, 'If Jesus
"Then I felt the beat." calls, will you answer?' I gut$ he had the
I t was 10:55 p.m. The bus was in the It brought beck a cblldbood memory, of wrong phone number for me because I
passing lane, climbi ng out of the Kentucky the times her father would burn his tobacco knew I was going to get out of there. I just
River valley aloog a curving section of In- beds. "The second Dad lit the names, the wasn't going to die."
terstate 71 six miles south of carrollton. beat hit you." Hertz first tried to kick out the window,
Pearman brieny nicked on the Interior The next. Padgett knew, she "''as lying on to no avail. Then be grabbed the hands of
llghLS and glanced In bis rear-view mirror the pavement outside the bus, her hair and his seatmates, Mike Jefferson, 14, and Kris-
as others tended to Kashawn Etheredge In eyelashes singed. Tbe 5-foot·2½·1ocb wom· ten WIiiiams. end together they began
the front row, wbo was still ill. Then he an had managed to squeeze through the 9- Jumping over seals.
returned his gaze to the highway and cried: by-24-lncb frame of the window beside her. Hertz passed Pam Ulley In the sixth row,
"Oh, no!" In the sixth row, the buckle on one of 16- wbo was Just sitting. looking et the fire. "f
Tom Hertz. 15, In the fourth row on the yeer-old Pam Ubey's sandals seemed es If
It were melting Into her foot. sort of nudged her on the shou lder with my
driver's side, saw a pickup truck coming at foot and said, 'Come on!' But she did not
the bus and thought, " No, we won't get In a With most windows closed , Jamie Har- move, so I kept on going."
wreck: that never happens to me." desty, in row nine, felt as though he'd been
Pearman slammed on bis brakes and shut Inside an oven. Across the aisle, he saw Chad Witt and
Jerked the bus to tbe left trying to dodge Tblck black smoke billowed beck 10 Har- April MIiis bugging. "They wouldn't move.
disaster. desty's seat In 10 seconds. It smelled like Everyone was yelling at them, 'Come on;
"f could beer the skidding." Padgett said. burning tires, he tboughL like burning Sly· get out!'"
" I'll never forget the skidding. the skid· rofoam. In the seventh row, Cheryl Pear- In the aisle. children were falling atop
ding." man, John Pearman's 13-year-0ld niece, one another. "One person would trip and
Stephanie Howard thought Brother John Conrad Garcia, 14, kicked open couldn't see beyond her nose. everyone behind him would start falling
was Just playing - that he'd hit the brakes
just to get the cblldren·s attention, es be did
Ille_, doo,, clelrtd Ille Eric Thompson, who was lying In the
aisle, bis bead a few rows from the back
down Into the seals, felling end tripping end
trying to get out end everything like that"
1l1te ind w11 tht first to meke It
sometimes "wben we get real rowdy." to 11fety. "I didn't want to die." door, Jumped up but found bis path to the Some panicked. Others seemed to have
Jemie Hardesty, 16, thought Pearman rear blocked.
was just trying to avoid a deer. At first, he welted, pushing those ahead Conllnued on next page

Congestion, lack of escape routes cost many young lives

t~ost 1urv1vo,s got out through a narrow eiit like
this. whk:h was quickly '9mmed In the panic.
Continued from Page One
down th e aisle and got out. Janie Padgett
climbed out a window from her second·
row seat Tom Hertz and Mike Jefferson,
seated In the founh row, clambered over
seats to reach the back door.
• Nobody suffered more than bruises,
bumps or culs from the Impact of the
head<in collision with a pickup truck. Al·
though one youth reponed being
knocked unconscious brieny, he and all
the other passengers were mobile within
moments after the crash.
• The fire spread quickly to the back
- most estimates put It at about two
minutes - but not so fast that people
didn't have a chance to get off.
Within seconds of the accident. the
front stairwell was In names. and after
about 10 seconds, blinding smoke bed
reached the rear of the bus. After about
two minutes, a strong blast shook the bus.
Investigators believe the heat may
have caused the drive shaft , a closed cyl·
lnder filled with compressed air, to ex-
plode.
Fire spreads rapid ly on school buses.
even without lhe leaking gasoline that
fueled It In this crash.
In one Industry 1es1. when a sack of
crumpled newspapers was Ignited on a
school-bus sear. th e celllng temperature
rocketed to 1,845 degrees In 160 seconds.
- less lhenthreemlnutes. Inanother,a
bus 11,•asconsumed in less lhan four min·
utes.
Although lbe rated capaclly or lbe bus
In the Carrollton crash was 67 - and
that was exactly how many people It was
carrying - It was congested, and the
sheer numbers contributed to the panic
that ensued. Two children were riding In
the aisle at the time of the crash, and at
least one younr:;ter tripped over a cooler
in the aisle on the way ouL
Jim Gildea, a National Transportation
Safety Board investigator, said the num-
ber of people on board did " binder the
evacuation - there's no doubt about It."
A Kentucky Department of Education
subcommittee has said It will recom-
mend that middle school and high school
buses limit children to two per seal, In·
stead of three, on activity trips oulslde
district boundaries.
The evacuation of the church bus also
was slowed because the last row or seats
blocked pert of the 37-l ncb-wlde back
door.
Stephanie Howard, who sat In the last
row, described being caught In a logjam
as passengers tried to squeeze through
the foot-wide space between the two
benches In the last row.
New federal rules lhat wenl Into effect
in 1977, a month after the Radcllff
church bus was built. require greater ac-
cess 10 the rear door. Newer buses have
a bench that seats two people, instead of
three, on one side at the rear.
Although many or 1he children had
been through bus-evacuation drills at
their schools, they proved of little value
In preparing them for this accident,
many survivors said. In the drills, chll-
dren filed off the buses row by row, wait-
Ing their turn, and often using just the
front door.
The drills bore no resemblance to the
real thing. said Cher'}'I Pearman, 13.
"When we got up, we jumped up and
piled on lop of each other. It wnsn't sin·
gle-file and wait for one another lo get
off.... You didn't think about anybody
else."
GIidea, of the safety board, said the
fact that some people In the front rows
escaped suggesls that the fire was survi-
veble. He said everyone might have been
able to get out had it not been for the
logjam.
State Medical Examiner George Nlcb·
ols said everyone moved after the crash.
" I found no evidence In the examine-
lion of (lhe) 27 people of any signi ficant
trauma short of the smoke Inhalation and
the fire," Nichols said.
Nichols said lbe 27 bodies on the bus
were rou nd In the aisle or In aisle seats
and most were racing lhe rear of the bus.
lndlcaling they had tried to nee.
ln Addition, most of the victims were
found at row five or farther back in the
bus, Nichols said. Driver John Pearman
was found In the aisle even with the sec-
ond row and he apparently "was herding
kids" towa rd the rear exil.
No children were found closer to the
front. Only youth-group lender Chuck,
Kytta was found up front, where he had 1 ~
been standing before the crash. A fir¢;,"':
extinguisher was at his side.
"It looks to me as If people staned to •
move and didn't get very far,'' Nichols
said.
Once the aisle became clogged, passen-
gers understandably began to push. Some
fell, and with vision limited by the "
smoke, others tripped over them.
A number ot survivors - Kim Fanner,
Quinton Higgins, Juan Holt and Darrin
Jaquess - were overcome by smoke In
the aisle while walUng to gel out. They
escaped only because their friends pulled
them off.
Two sllghUy bulll passengers - Ped·
geU and Eric Thompson - went out win·
dows. Others said they didn't think of us-
Ing the windows, wblcb, et 9 by 24
Inches, were not Intended as exits.
Many survivors said extra exits would
have saved lives - a conclusion also
reached by Nichols and carroll County
Coroner James Dunn.
Nichols said, " Anything lbat would
have aided In the evacuation ... obvious-
ly would have saved more lives."
The Education Depanmenl's subcom-
mittee also has said it will propose lhnl
all large buses to be ordered this yeur
for Kentucky schools be equipped with
four pop-out windows, two on each side,
which would provide a larger opening
than on cu rrent buses. The slate Board of
Education must approve the plan for It to
take effect.
 THE COURIER JOURNAL SUNDAY JUNE 19 1988

May 14, 1988

81oj>hante Howard,
15, ltloughldlivtr
John Pearman w11
juott,ylnglogtllllo
childran"a att1ntton
lHISVIW'S lllm I 111ST n,sm
when hll htt lllo
brakff - .. ht did
Ullf II SfCIBITY 10885

1·1111I
IOffletlmea j•whtn we
get reel rowdy."
Teenagers from 21 countries arc arriving in the U.S. this
summer • each one looking forward to living with an
American fami ly for a high school year

111,,.., • 11udenl wflo wan" to Join YOUR lwmlly.

Your student speaks English, has good grades, and wants to
IIDIW,AIADl5E I PEGASUS CENTENNIAL ELMATADOR TIFFANY learn more about the American v.•ay of life. All students arc
•299 '199 '209 •229 '269 fully insured and bring their own spending money. They also
bring an international penpectivc to your family, together

ConUnued from previous page
been overcome by the smoke.
The smoke felt like It "was eating
your lungs apart," Hertz said. At the
rear, he looked back and saw that
the names, fed by the seats and
clothes nnd stuffed animals, had
reached the fifth or sixth row.
Unable to take another breath, "I
just saw an opening In the door and
decided to go."
Stlindlng outside the bus tn the
bighway median. Janie Padgett
forced herself to tum and look at
the window through which sbe bad
escaped.
"And at tllat Instant, I gave up alt
I
with a special friendship which laslS through the yean.
came from hair-spray cans or tires.
By the time Geollrey Pinkerton
FREE In-Home
Baked,On
Estimate
got from bis car to tile back of tile
ChooN your 11udenl NOW/
bus, It was lilied with nre.
Polystat® Finish
Cerey Aurentz dreamed sbe was Exclusive Steel Lock Box Your local EF Foundation Area Representative is currently
riding an upside-down roller coast- interviewing prospective families. Please contact:
er, which was making her sick. "I've tia~J~o. s~\~liz~ l~t~r:ln~?,;'.
got to get orr Ibis rotter coaster," The Meers 423-8043
dows • Porch co1umns , Shutters
she said to herself. "I've got to get The Atherton& 538-8865
orr tills roller coaster." Almost tn a
• Round Top Doors • Custom
trance. and struggttng to breatlle, •199
lACY t _Colors.
__ 90 _
Days_
Same
_as _Cash.
_.... •269OAK
GEORGIAN
she climbed over seatbacks to the Or call toll lrN 1-800-44-SHARE
rear door and fell to the ground.
HOUSE OF SECURITY Educallonal Foundation for Fonilgn Study
Katrina Mueller, severely burned,
!EB =-= fAf:g'::;fl,~":r,?r
230,'jf',';Irgr;~•;OAO
I
fell tn tile aisle, stOOd again, and Onc MrmonalDrive: 142SChapalaStrm
tllen stumbled out
a.ran Foran, 14, screaming at
the top or her lungs, her hair and -m~·662"~ ~ ill ni.i,i2 Cambodgr,MA02142 Santa8arbara,CA9J I0I

bope tor my tr1end Joy and Robin,
ber daughter. And I'll never forget
tile helplessness I fell. ...
"The bus looked 40 stories high."
•rron-JNOfil or,ani;orio,i
shirt aflame, also crawled out A
trucker picked ber up and patted
names out wttll bis bands.

W earyaltert2hnursonthe
road, student Geoffrey Pinkerton,
driving from Hamilton College in
ti~~~ ·1. A·LE~ D A,·
-·F a· L11 ••. 3 DAYS ONLY ..I
Ointon, N. Y., almost had made It to
bis family's Sbetbyvllle home. Then who had been driving a bustoad or _
be came over a rise and saw the
orange glow.
He stopped his car and ran to, :~~e,~tsF~7d%!'!tt:l'.:!~C:!
~:f.:"si~~ :~:.. ~p tllere, tllen tile
MON.
TUES. ...
ward tile burning bus, seeing figures
moving inside, many in names. Fire A huge blast seemed to nn up
raged from tile seats to tile ceiling. what was Jett of the bus - with a WED
"Help me!" some children cried
out. ~~k~~~~\sk;;:,ed the glasses orr
Arter tile blast Weyer said,
ia----·-------------------------------
Others called tor their mothers.
Despite shouts tllat the bus was
about to blow, Jamie Hardesty
"There was just mutned sounds In
there for a few seconds, and then It
ALL INVENTORY I FLOOR SAMPLES I SCRATCH &
was all over."
picked bimsell up orr tbe pavement
behind the bus and began pulling bis DENTS I ONE OF KINDS I CLOSE OUT I MERCHANDISE
frien~ out. An explosion "was
something that I Just wasn't worry-
ing aboul."
First he pulled off Jess Durrance,
T hirty-ntne children aod one
adult bad escaped. IN OUR WAREHOUSE I DISPLAY MODELS I
Scattered on tile highway, they
16, then Christy Peannan, her emu;

LOWEST PRICES OF THE YEAR!

alre8dy blistered. Some child ren
cried out for him by name. Every·
one 1was blackened by soot.
screamed and cried and hugged one
another.
Motorists stopped to comfort
them. Pinkerton knelt by Claran
Foran, who was burned on her face
and arms. "She called out for her
mother. I said, 'Your mother Is on
her way; she Is coming.'"
Sister Anita Lowe, who was chap-
eroning the Marian Heights Acade·
my group, offered pillows and blan·
kets and lee.
Some children stared orr Into
space, she remembers, while others
simply prayed, including one boy,
who repeated, "Dear Lord, forgive
me for all my sins."
At first, rescuer.; discussed taking
18 or tile tes., seriously Injured chll·
dren to the hospital on one or tile
Marian Heights buses.
" We an said, 'No you're not!' "
Stephanie Howard said. "We'll walk
if we have to, but we're not going on
8 bus."

T wenty-rour children and three

adults bad perished. Eighteen or tile
90 DAYS SAME AS CASH
children were girls; sir were boys. ... OR ...
~------~ Tbe youngest - Robin Williams
It was about a minute atter the and her friend Patricia Susan Nun- TERM FINANCING
nallee - were IO; both were fourth,
crash, and the names had worked graders at Radctilfs Meadow View
tlleir way hallway back. And Har- NO MONEY DOWN
desty kept pulling "until tllere was Et::~~e~b~dents at anotller IPI====:;; (CREDIT APPROVAL REQUIRED)
nobody ten In the door." school - Radcliff Middle.
Still, he could hear screaming
fromlUrtherinside.
One Fort Knox soldier, Sgt. Lee
Wilitams, lost bis entire lamtly: his
ALL EXISITING INVENTORY
Grabbing a pipe that had broken wife Joy, and bis daughters, Kristen
orr the bus, he smashed windows on and Robin. MUST GO TO MAKE ROOM
both sides. but all he saw were Aaron Conyers, 13, got out but his FOR INVENTORY
flames. brother, Joshua, 14, did not. Eric
A short distance behind the bus, Thompson survived, but his younger ARRIVING DAILYI
Larry Flowers, who stands 6 leet 3 sister, Emtliie, did not. Pam Ubey
inches tall, grabbed Pam Ubey, lived, but her younger sister, Crys-
whose younger sister Crystal, 13, tal, did nol
ALL ITEMS COMES
was still on board. WITH FULL FACTORY
Pam Uhey struggled to break
free,"to race back onto the bus, and
It took all or Flowers' strength to
restrain her.
T be survivors are stHI haunted
by tlleir ordeal.
WARRANTY!

"I want my sister!" she screamed. Tom Hertz returned to school for
" l want my sister!" two days but could not stand walk·
His hair singed, bis eye blackened tng past tile lockers or his 16 missing
and a huge knot forming on his classmat~. "So I came home. I
head, Hertz searched for bis seat- haven't been back to school since."
mates. Mike Jefferson and Kristen Stephanie Howard could no long-
Williams. Jellerson he found , his er sleep In the water bed that she
arms and face burned. WIiiiams he had shared the night before the ac·
did not. cldent with her sleetH)ver guest,
Cheryl Pearman searched franti- Kristen WIiiiams. Her father had to
cally for her cousin Christy Pear· buy her a new one.
man. She finally found her. her face Chrisly Pearman is terrified or
and arms badly burned, in a ditch. fire. To help her burns heal In the
Eric Thompson couldn 't find his hospital, she bad to sleep with her
sister Emillle, 13. " I thought tllat arms In splints tied to the bed -
she had just run off somewhere In sometlling she sold scared her im-
shock or something." mensely because she feared the hos-
Jason Booher and Cheryl Pear- pital might bum.
man grabbed one or the last chtl· Larry Flowers can't bear the
dren who managed to stumble off thought or riding on a school bus
the bus. Jason held the girl by tile again - ever.
arms. and Cheryl grabbed her legs. Padgett can't help feeling guilty al
But Cheryl had to drop her - the times. "I felt selfish, because l got la_..,...;;.__
girl's skin was too hot to touch. outsofastbecauseldidn'thelp." ~
Tammy Darnell lay on the ground Many chtldren say lhe tragedy
at the back of the bus. her collar- hos increased !heir faith in the
bone broken, thinking one thi ng: "I Lord, whom they credit with saving
want my mom." rhcm and their friends.
Within 1wo minures. by most ac- But Tom Hertz also said he has , 6210 SHEPHERDSVILLE ROAD
counts, flames were shooting out lhe repeatedly asked himself one sim·
rear exit. pie question: "Why did God create 966-4254
FURNITURE & APPLIANCES INC.
There were several small explo- people so young and rake th em back
sions that some children believed again?"'
METRO EDITION, 192 PAGES ****"**
Tensions strain war-weary Iran
as political, economic crises loom
By WILLIAM TUOHY
C The Los Angeles Times
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran Is enduring Its
most tense period since the Islamic revolu-
tion ousted the late Shah Mohammed Reza
Pahlavi, bringing the Ayatollah Rubnllab
Khomeini to power In 1919.
The nallon of 41 million Is facing a mili-
tary and economic crisis unrivaled since Its
war wllh Iraq began eight yeara ago, dlplll'
matte observers In Tehran said. Their con·
cluslons are supported by admissions from
senior Iranian political figures.
The crisis has been exacerbated by last
Sunday's downing of an Iranian airliner by
a U.S. Navy missile cruiser over the Persian
Gulf. All 290 people aboard died.
HOT?YES
WORST ON RECORD? NO
Dust Bowl saw
higher readings
and drier fields
By ROBIN GARR
Staff Writer
As day follows day wllb excessive heat and
no rain, Kentucky residents mlg)lt find It
hard to believe that lbe stale has groaned
under even more severe droughts.
The Louisville area Is well Into tis fifth
consecutive abnormally warm year and Its
fourth year wllb below-normal precipitation,
but state weather records llst several periods
during which hotter, drier condlllons lasted
even longer. "This Is not that unusual," said
State Cllmatologlst Glen Conner of Western
Kentucky Unlverally,
Despite scattered showers last night, the
LoulsVllle area Is on the verge of breaking
one record. It no measurable rain falls be-
fore the end ot tomorrow, the region wlll tie
Its 1924 record of 32 days without rain.
Louisville weather-service records, wblcb
go back to 1873, and The Courier-Journal's
flies record severe droughts during the early
19505; In 1898 through 1904; and lbroug)l
most of the 1930s, when an extended drought
racked much ot the naUon and devastated
farms throughout much of the "Dust Bowl."
At the end of July 1954, for example,
see OVERALL
Back page, cot. 1, Ibis section
BATTLE LINES: "Confode,ato" aotdlero were led Into the fray yeotordoy ot Hayawood Nature PreHrVe during the re-
enactment of the Batde of Corydon, the onty Ctvll War battle In Indiana, on lta 125th anniversary. More than 600 took part.
Arts _ _ _ _ _ Section I
Busineas _ _ _ _ Section E
Cl.1~sifled ads _ B 15, Section G
Ooo!h.._ ·- - - - B 10·14
Features _ _ _ _ secticn H
Forum _ _ __ Section D
Racing _results
&porta _ _ _ c 11, 17
_ __ C tomorrow. 90s to 101. Lows. 70s.
Roat Eallle _ _ _ Section F
COPYRIGHT IC> 1988, THE COURIER.JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY , A GANNETT NEWSPAPER
The rise In tension Is attribute<! to three The Iraqis have also fired mlsslles Into
factors: recent military defeats; economic Tehran and created widespread apprehen-
fallln~ and uncertainty over Khomeini's sion by using chemical weapons at the front.
political successor. "Nobody really expected the Iraqis to
The widely venerate<! ayatollah, a Shiite make that much progress," said a Western
Moslem spiritual leader, Is In his 88th year
military specialist In Tehran. "Some of the
and Is said to be seriously ailing. He has not
fighting fervor seems to have gone out of
been seen In public In recent weeks.
On the military front, Iranian troops have the Iranian revolutionary troops."
suffered a surprising and serious round of Leading government officials regularly
setbacks In recent months. The Iraqi army, exhort young Iranians to volunteer for serv-
which a year ago seemed to be dug In a ice at the front - a call that goes largely
permanently defensive role, went on the of- unheeded. The army, an unhappy union of
fensive. Among other thin~, Iraq recovered regulars and Revolutionary Guards that
the Faw Peninsula, reclaimed the central- should number 350,000 front-line troops, Is
front area of Shalamcbeh and drove the Ira-
nians out of the oil-rich MaJnoon Islands. SeelRAN
east of Basra. Back page, cot. 3, this section
Toyota's tough
hiring methods
can frustrate
avid job-seekers
By GEORGE GRAVES
Business Writer
For 26 hours spread over seven montl\s,
Ronald Foley Jumpe<l lbroug)l lbe hoops: He
watched an orientation film, filled out an
appllcallon, took various tests and submitted
to an interview and a physical exam.
Like thousands of olbera, be desperately
wanted a Job at the Toyota Motor Manufac-
turing. U.S.A., Inc. plant near Geargetown,
• Favor-seekers hoped governor's
office was entry to Toyota Job. E 1.
Ky. As he proceeded through what may be
the most !borough application process for
any business In any Industry, all seemed to
go well for the 39-year-old Louisville main-
tenance worker.
Foley aced his written aptitude test. He
got along with fellow applicants In a team-
Louisville hits 103 work exercise. He showed plenty of dexter-
degrees - Its tty arranging pe~ and washers.
second straight day Then came the form letter from Toyota.
of record heat - and No Job.
Paducah's 100 sets a " It really frustrate<! me," Foley sold.
record. Page B 1. Joyce Hamaker, a 42-year-old nurse,
spent nearly 10 months on Toyota's appll-
See TOYOTA'S
Back page, cot. 3, this section
STN'F PHOTO BY MMVl\l tC.L ~
Poston's sense
of the absurd
Arta, Page 11
SUNDAY, JULY 10, 1988
KENTUCKY'S BUS TRAGEDY
THE
SEARCH
FOR
SAFETY FIRST OF THREE PARTS
Crash finally may prompt
changes urged for decades
By SCOTT THURM and HUNT HELM
Stoff Writers
· For two decades, scientists, university
researchers and some government
agencies have warned of the dangers
that took 27 llves on a dark section of
Interstate near carrolllon, when a
church bus became a fiery trap.
The unprotected gas tank that rup-
tured near the front door. The highly
nammable seats that fueled the tire.
The Inadequacy of the lone emergency
exit for 67 frightened, desperate people.
Numerous experts have called for
improvements, and In a handful of
places, dangers have been confronted :
safer sears Installed, emergency exits
added. ln newer buses everywhere, the
gas tanks are protected by steel cages.
But, for the most part, the dangers
remain.
The safety record has been so good
for so long that the federal officials
who regulate school-bus design haven't
thought It necessary to act. Most local
school officials - caught between tlghl
budgets and that record of few major
Report after unheeded report
cited need for more bus exits
By HUNT HELM
S1otr Wrlter
WASHI NGTON - TIie accident was
caused by a drunken driver traveling
the wrong way on an interstate high·
woy. ...
The drunken driver's vehicle collided
1iead-on with a bus. ...
The collision caused a fire that
spread rapidly through the bus. ...
Bus passengers died because emer-
gency exits were inadequate.
Those government findi ngs seem to
~escrlbe the fiery crash that trapped
and kllled 27 people nea r carrollton on
May 14.
But they were reached 20 years ago,'
In a rederal report on a remarkably
similar tragedy lhat killed 19 people
near Baker, Cslif.
That report contains one of the first
recommendaUons on highway safety
ever issued by the Nallonal Transporta-
tion safety Board:
"Thal no new types of buses go Into
SINGLE COPY $1.25
• Reaction to mandatory bus
Inspection. Page B 1.
accidents - have chosen not to Install
additional safety features.
As a resul~ the great majority of
school buses being manufactured today
have only one emergency exit, have
lhelr fuel tanks right behind the front
door and have seat cushions made of
hlgllly nammable polyurethane.
In add itlon, thousands of older, more
dangerous buses are In the hands of
churches and other private groups -
their operation unregulated, their main-
tenance unmonitored and their hazardS
unknown to their passengers.
or course, the carrollton accident, on
May 14, never would have happened If
a pickup truck had not been going the
wrong way on Interstate 71 - driven
by a man police say was drunk.
But It was fire, not the Impact of the
see CRASH
PAGE 10, cot. t, this section
service which have not been tested to
Insure that all occupants can escape
ropldly.''
Tragically for lhe victi ms of lbe ca r-
ronton crash, that recommendation -
Indeed, a relentl~ drumbeat of similar
recommendations made over the
course of a decade - never persuaded
federal rule-makers to devise such tests
or to require additional emergency ex-
Its on school buses.
They considered school buses to be
the safest form or ground transporta-
tion.
So when the last major O\'erhau l of
federal rules on school-bus safety took
effect In 1977, no requi rement was In-
cluded for more exits.
Federal Molor Vehicle safety Stan-
dard 217, which was enacted that year
and Is 51111 In effect, says. In part, that
every school bus must have: "One rear
see MANY
PAGE 11, cot. 1, lh~ section
Boom times?
• Lou/1ville a,11 - Mostly sunny
wifh a chance ol thundershowers
through tomorrow. High today, 101.
tomorrow, 99 Low. 74.
• Kentucky - Mostly sunny with
a chance ol thundershowers through
tomorrow Highs today. 99 lo 103;
Details, Page B 2
 A 10
Only 6 states'
requirements
exceed federal
exit standard
By HUNT HELM
Staff Writer
A big yellow school bus crossed a rail-
road grade near Congers, N. Y., one spring
morning In 1972. The driver was running
late, and as he dlsregarded a stop sign at
the crossing. several of the 49 chlldreo sit-
ting behind him heard a wh istle blast.
Th e lead locomotive of a Peon Central
freight train speared the bus. driving it
1,11 6 feet down the track. The National
TransPortatlon Safely Board rePorted lhal
" the body structu re or the bus dlslntegrat-
ed."
Five ch ildren died. The bus driver and
ell 44 remaining passengers were Injured.
And the Empire State had suffered one of
America's most famous school-bus acci-
dents.
Today, If you ask New York's carrier-
safety chief Marty Chauvin why the state
tuls some of the strictest school-bus safety
standards In the nation, he will answer with
one word : "Congers."
New York responded 10 the accident by
reviewing all aspects of school-bus safety
and enacting new standards. And even
though the Congers accident didn't raise the
tssue of emergency evacuation, the state's
1976 standard on exits far exceeds the fed-
eral requirement of one door In the rear of
the bus.
That federal standard is a minimum, but
only six states have chosen to require more.
The Na1lonal conference on School
Transponallon - the group of state educa-
tion officials lhat convenes every five years
to set school-bus safety guidelines - rec-
ommends one emergency door.
The addition of roof hatches was dis-
cussed at the group's 1985 meeting, but
members weren't convinced more exits
were needed, said George E. Donn, the
group's president and U'SnsportaUon direc-
tor of a Maryland school district.
He said that he has si nce changed his
mind and 1hat the group wlll probably con-
sider calling for additional emergency exits
when It meets In 1990.
Meanwhile, however, roughly 90 percent
of the school buses manufactured today
have only one emergency ex.JI - Just like
che 1977 church bus that was struck near
carrollfon on May 14. As fire spread quick-
ly lhrough the bus, ,o people escaped, al-
most all through the rear door. Twenty-sev-
en people. unable to get out, died on board.
Accidents prompt refonn
Of the six states that require more than
one emergency exit. half enacted those
rules in response to school-bus wrecks:
• Stanlng In 1976, four years aner the
Congers crash, New York began requiring
Crash finally may bring changes urged for years
Continued from Page One
crash, that killed.
Now, there are signs the carrolllon acci-
dent could forever change government's
judgments on these sa fety issues, and it
could change the way school buses are de-
signed and built In Washington, in Frank-
fort and across the country, officials are
predicti ng reform:
• The National Highway Traffic Safety
Admlnls1mlion, which sets safety standards
for new vehicles. ls reviewing all of its reg-
ulations for school buses.
Three of them - fuel-tank protection,
nammablllty of interior materials and the
number of emergency exits - are receiv-
ing "a lot of emphasis." said Barry Felrice,
the agency's associate administrator for
ru le-making. Interior materials and exits
likely will get " the closest scrutiny," he
said.
" The agency has tended not to do much
on school buses because It was felt they
were so safe to begin with," Felrtce said.
He expects It to recommend stronger
school-bus standards by the end of the year.
In addition. Lhe National Transportation
Safety Board. which Investigates major ac-
cidents, may hold a hearing In Kentucky
next month. The board Is considering addi·
Uonal safety recommendations for school
buses In a report that will be completed
next year.
• The Kentucky Board of Education wlll
consider a proposal this week to equip new
school buses with two push-out wlndo'NS
that can be used as emergency exits. Only
six other states now exceed federal require-
ments for emergency exits.
Also, Gov. Wallace WIikinson has ordered
mandatory safety inspecllons of privately
owned buses. And this fall. state and local
school officials will test a fire-retardant
seat cover that may be required on future
Kentucky school buses.
The ca rrollton bus. built in early 1977,
conformed to state and federal design re-
quirements then In effect.
• outside Kentucky, school officials also
areconsldertngadditlonal sa fety features.
A bus manurac1urer that offersa fire-retar·
dant seat cove r said Interest has surged
since the accident.
As fa r away as Cs llfornla, Dan Stephens,
director or transportation for San Diego
schools. sa id the Ca rrollton crash "raised
eyebrows all ac ross our state for sure."
How safe is safe?
Al thesametlme, theaccidenthasrekin·
died a national debate over the safely of
school buses. The debate revolves around
EXITS
REQUIRED
IN NEW YORK
STATE
For school buses carrying
67 or more passengers
Sru'ce NewYMState
Depa11men1ofTransportat10n,
OrvlSIOOofTralhc andSalety
additional exits, Lee Commeau, associate
director of pupil transportation, said all
buses are required to have roof hatches,
push-out windows or side doors In some
combination, depending on the size of the
bus.
If the 1977 bus lhat crashed In Carrollton
had been built to New York's specifications,
It would have had JO exits Instead of two:
the front door, three emergency doors, two
roof hatches and four push-out wlndo'NS.
"It's like an Insurance policy," Chauvin
said. " You pay the premiums and hope you
never have lo use It But we bad a bus Up
over on its right side on Long Island not too
Jong ago. The windshield was up against a
building. and the right, front door was on
the ground. The rea r ex.Jt was disabled. The
driver was unconscious.
" But an I I-year-old kid opened the roof
hatches, and all the kids were off that bus
within a minute or two. . .• That's one good
example of the effectiveness."
• West Virginia school buses have emer 4
gency windows and roof hatches In addition
to the rear door. Two push-out windows
have been required since 1975; roof hatch-
es, since 1983.
Stewart M. Roscoe, the state's director of
school transportation, said the addition of
roof hatches followed an accident in which
a bus was forced off the road by a drunken
driver and then rolled over.
The front door and all the right-side win-
dows were on the grou nd. Tbe children
couldn't reach the left-side windows, which
two inseparable questions: How safe Is
safe? And how effective are government
safety regulations?
On one side are government and Industry
officials and safety experts who consider
lhe Ken1ucky crash o nuke, the unlikely
combination of hlghly unusual events. They
poi nt to re~uring statistics showing that
only 15 or 20 school-bus passengers are
killed every year.
"Do you put a plastic bubble arou nd It
(the bus) that no one can ever enter?"
asked Ed Donn, transportation director for
the Washington County, Md., schools and
president of the National Association for
Pupil Transportation. "I'm not rea lly con-
vinced we have a bad piece of equipment
out there."
In the extreme, Don Ivey, associate di-
rector of the Texas Transportation Institute
at Texas A & M University, argued that the
low death toll on school buses - compared
to thousands who die In truck accidents or
because or drunkea, driving - means that
"spending safety dollars In this area is like
throwing lhem away. It's like stu ffing them
down a sewer."
"There probably are safer ways to build
school buses," Ivey said. "But I can't argue
that it ought to be done."
Room for improvement
Others contend there Is room for im-
provement In school-bus design.
They poi nt out tbat each featu re of the
bus that may have contributed to the loss or
life in the carrolllon fire had been identi·
fied as a problem In government reports
and private studies. And Improvements
were available.
Replacements ror the polyurethane roam
used in seat cushions have been available
si nce the 1960s. the federal government has
outlawed polyu rethane on most city buses
si nce 1977, and top scientists recommended
In 1979 lhat It be iaken ofl school buses. But
it cushions the ride of vi rtually every
American schoolchild today.
Additional emergency exits - such as
push-out windows and roof hatches-also
have been available for decades. But in re·
quiring only a single rear door, federa l reg-
ulators Ignored advice from th e NTSB and
from bus manufacturers themselves.
And, while the federal government re-
quired greater crash protection for fuel
tanks in 1977. buses built before that stan-
dard took effect are still In wide use -
including abou t 800 In Kentucky.
The 1977 Superior bus Involved In the
ca rrollton crash was such a bus - one of
the last built without a metal cage shielding
Its gas lank.
THE SEARCH FOR A ·TY
were about 8 feet In the air. The rear door
was damaged and jammed. And the driver
was injured.
"The kids were not seriously hurt," Ros-
coe said, "but they were trapped In the bus
for a long time before passing drivers got
them out. We try to look at our accidents
and make Improvements."
• Indiana improved the safety or Its
school buses after a crash near Madison
that killed five teen-agers In 1973. A tractor-
trailer rig loaded with railroad lies hit the
bus in the left rear, and as the bus rolled
over, the frame separated from the body,
eiecting some of the passengers.
Since 1981, according to Pete Baxter, as-
sistant director of pupil transportation, Ind!·
ana has required an emergency window
exit on each side, In addition to the rear
emergency door, on all conventional school
buses.
In addillon, Baxter said, another accident
three years ago prompted a recommenda·
lion, though not a requirement, for roof
hatches In specifications that went Jnto ef-
fect on July l.
"A substitute driver went under a viaduct
and misjudged the depth of flood water
there," Baxter said. "The water ca me right
up to the window line, and passengers had
to swim out."
• (allfornia has required at least two
emergency exits since 1950: the rear door
and an emergency door on the left side of
lhe bus.
In addition, the accident history of those
old buses Is largely unknown. School-bus-
accident statistics - the basis for so many
of the government's conclusions about bus
safety - exclude mishaps Involving former
school buses in private hands.
"I don't want to hear their statistics about
how safe the buses are," said WIiiiam Bain-
bridge. a fonner school supe rintendent who
now runs a publlc,pollcy research firm In
Colu mbus, Ohio. "They're not doing every-
thing they can to improve those buses.''
Added R. Brady WIiiiamson, o professor
or engineering science at the University of
Cslifornia at Berkele1 and an expert on
fires: " If anybody had put some com mon
sense to It, you could have averted" the
deaths with a better-designed fuel system
and Jess nammable seats.
James King. a former member of the
NTSB, said government regulators have
"done everything on school buses to avoid
changing the basic design. It's crazy. The
thing,; we're talking about are peanuts.
They don't cost all that much.''
In some states and local school districts,
officials routinely request more safety fea-
tures than the federal government requires
- and bus manufacturers usually comply.
But the number of such districts is small.
In part, this reflects local officials' limit-
ed knowledge. carroll Pitts, transportation
director for lhe Cobb county, Ga., schools,
recalled watching a school bus burn during
a test in 198S, a full decade after scientists
had demonstrated the flammability of poly-
urethane.
"I stood there in amazement." he said. "I
never thought a bus could burn" throughout
as the result of a fire started wllh newspa-
per.
Money is a factor
But Pitts and 01hers said the primary rea-
son safely features aren't more widely
adopted Is financial.
"All the Incentives are to go cheap," said
Stephens or San Diego, who heads an asso,
clalion or big-city schooHransPorlDtlon 0111-
clals. "It takes parent pressu re to overcome
the controllers, the fiscal people, who say
we ca n't afford" addillonal costs on buses.
The NTSB offered one answer to that ar-
gument nearly 20 years ago. In Its repo non
a 1970 accident In Alabama, the board
round a "unique need for protection of in·
n:x:ent children who ride school buses, and
who are almost totally unable to assure
their sa fety by their own actions.''
"This consideration of justice," the board
concluded. "should override the question of
whether the cost of (sa fely Improvements)
cou ld be demonstrated to be less lhan the
dollar value of the lives saved."
adequate eitits on buses." said sa m JackSon,
Kentucky's assistant director of pupil trans-
portation. "Bui as a result of this accident
In carrolllon, I think all the states are eval-
uating their equipment - and not Just exits
but the whole nine yards."
Jack.son said that unlll thlsyear, "we nev-
er have discussed pusb-out windows or ad-
dlllonal emergency doors. At least not since
1972, when I came here.''
A Boone County school official, Corky Re-
genbogen, has proposed the addition of roof
hatches to the specilicatlons committee for
three straight years. "But I've pretty much
stood alone," he said.
He said, however, that he favors root
hatches as much for ventilation as for an
additional escape route. "Our buses are
0 very sate," he said.
0 In the past, federal rule-makers and a
0 spokesman for the Kentucky Department or
0 Education have said that additional emer-
gency exits would be counterproductive on
school buses because children would play
with them.
But officials In all six states that require
additional exits said tampering has not
been a problem.
And spokesmen for rive major school-bus
manufactu rers said additional exits are
wired so that the bus driver is warned if
any are even partially opened.
" That prankster argument Is totally falla-
cious." said James 8. King. a vice president
at Northeastern University In Boston and a
former member of the National Transporta-
tion Sa fety Board.
Cost isn't prohibitive
Manufactu rers aren't opposed to putting
more exits In school buses.
"l don't know of any arguments In the
Industry agninsl additional emergency ex-
its," sa id Morris Adams, vice president of
"The standard Is a minimum ...," sold marketing for Thomas Built Buses In High
Ron Kinney, supervisor of school transpor- Point, N. C. "I would like to see roof batch-
tation. "Many, many buses have more."
es become standard equipment"
And they say the cost Is not prohibitive.
• Oregon has required either push-out
Roof halehcs cost roughly $300 each; push-
windows or a left-side emergency door, In
addlllon to the rear exit, since 1971, said out windows, S70.
Bob George, assistant director of pupil
"Over the life of a bus that costs about
transportation. Also, he said, windows on $37,000," Adams said, "that Is not a whole
newer buses are large enough to be used as lot of money.''
Nevertheless, said Barry Felrice of th e
exits. National Highway Traffic Safety Admlnls-
"We had no specinc accident, no studies, trallon, "lhe groups that most often protest
no evidence of benefits. just common additional safety requirements for school
sense," George said.
buses are school boards themselves. And
• Washington has required a !eh-side the reason Is tbat most safety Improve-
emergency door on every conventional ments make school buses more expensive."
Jack.son said the Kentucky speci fications
school bus since 1965, and roof hatches are
committee never considers cost In making
recommended.
its recommendations.
"We have had situations where they used " We don'tlookatthecostfactor,just the
that side exit to get kids out of buses be- benefit," Jackson said. "If It needs to be
cause the vehicle was rear~nded," said done, II needs to be done." But in the case
Don carnahan, state director of pupil trans- of additional emergency exits, he said, the
portation.
Industry hadn't produced documentation
that more exits were needed.
Kentucky to ponder changes King, the former safety-board member,
said states generally abide by the minimum
Because of the crash In carrolllon, Ken- federal standard until an accident on their
tucky Is moving to join those states. The own highways forces them lo look at safety
state Boo rd or Education Is to consider th is issues more closely. He said that's why fed-
week a recommendation from the state eral regulators should act.
School Bus Specifications Revision Commit· "Additional emerge ncy exits ought to be
tee that push-out windows be required on a federal requirement. They shou ldn't be a
conventional school buses to be bought for jurlsdlcllonal lhlng," he said.
1989. " I don't think someone In Kentucky ls
" Unlll Ibis, everybody felt lhal they hod less valuable than someone In New York.''
WHEN RECOMMENDATIONS WERE MADE
1967 - School Bus
Manufacturers Institute and a report
for the Society of Automotive
Engineers call for more exits on
school buses.
1968 - Drunken driver hits a bus
on Interstate 15 near Baker, Calif.,
and 19 people die in resulting fire.
National Transportation Safety
Board Issues a recommendation
that all new buses be tested to
,,
ensure rapid escape.
1979 - National Materials
Advisory Board calls polyurethane
seat cushions a "serious hazard"
on buses and recommends they not
be used In new buses.
1984 - Congress passes
amendments to the Motor Vehicle
Carrier Act lo regulate privately
owned and operated buses used in
Interstate commerce, including
former school buses. However, the
Federal Highway Administration
never has Issued regulations.
1972 - NTSB, in report on a
Virginia accident. warns that the · • NTSB recommends that states
require drivers of church or private
location of fuel tanks on school
buses could lead to fires that would activity buses to undergo training
and pass a road test.
block the front door. The board
also calls for a study of a safer
location. 1987 - NTSB sends a letter to
churches and church groups
• Federal standard for flammability advising them to buy recent·model
of internal materials on vehicles - buses and to set up rigorous
Including buses - takes effect. Inspection, maintenance and driver•
traming programs.
• National Highway Transportation
Sa fety Administration imposes rule
requiring most buses, but not 1988 - Onver police say was
school buses, to be equipped with drunk colhdes with a bus on
push-out windows for emergencies. Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Ky.,
1974 - Congress passes and 27 people die in resulting fire.
amendments to Motor Vehicle NTSB and National Highway Tralflc
Safety Act requiring improved Safety Administration launch salety
reviews.
safety standards for school buses.
1977 - Package of federal ...
standards on school buses takes
effect. Regulations include
requirements for one emergency
exit in rear: crash-protection for
fuel tank: sturdier construction; and
more padding around seats to
prevent Injuries.
• Urban Mass Transit
Administration requires that most
new mass-transit buses bought
with federal money contain
cushions made of material less
flammable than polyurethane:
Neoprene is adopted as substitute.
School buses are not affected by
the requirement.
 1,,£ CluHICR.Ol,ANAl _.JN AV Jlf 1 1)88 A 11

THE S ARCH FOR SAFETY

Many reports The former Meade Cou nty school bus In·
valved In the May 14 crash nea r ca rrollton
compiled with the federal standard requlr·
Ing one emergency exit.
have been killed, Problems created by In-
j uries. by the unfavorable position of the
bus and by reduction of avallable egress
Dr. Arthur Yeager, ot Physicians for
Auromollve Safety, also weighed in:
The report noted lhat passengers were
trapped, even though the bus compiled with
" The proposed school-bus emergency exi t the requirement for one rear emergency
routes would have made rapid evacuation standard falls tar short of bringing about door.
cited a need But offlc1als who have investigated that
accident, and survivors of the crash, have
said that the one emergency door wasn't
lmpos.sibie,"
In both the Baker and Beaver Falls cases,
the NTSB recommended that the federal
any meaningful Improvements.... We do The board recommended that the stan-
not need further dramatic evidence of the dard be changed " to provide for addltlonal
failure of the present exil contlgurallon -
for more exits enough - that additional exits would have
saved lives.
As a result, the issue ot exits on school
government, as soon as possible, base exil
requ irements upon actual escape tests on
buses "standing or lying in all basic atti·
demonstrated."
emergency ex.ii points to facilitate escape
the potential for disaster has been amply from and access to school buses. regardless
of the vehicle's attitude following a collision
Nevertheless, In 1976 the traffic-safety or overturn. Such exits shall be in addition"

on school buses buses Is bei ng revived.

Continued from Page One
emergency door that opens outward. . . .
That did little more than ratify the exist-
ing industry practice. Additional exits re-
mained optional on school buses, even
though:
a In 1967 a report by researchers for the
Society ot Automotive Engineers said four
exits were needed on school buses "because
of the hazard ot crash-Induced fire," And a
discussion paper by the School Bus Manu-
facturers Institute also recommended at
least four emergency exits.
arn 1968, 1970 and 1972, government-
sponsored university research concluded
that one emergency exit Is not enough on a
school bus. First, Baylor University recom-
mended In an accident study that conven-
tional school buses have four labeled roof-
hatch exits, The University of Oklahoma
conducted evacuation tests and recom-
mended additional exits; and, in a follow-up
study, It recommended roof hatches and
said school buses should be designed to per-
mit evacuation in 90 seconds or Jess.
• In 1975 a consultant for the U.S. De-
partment of Transportation concluded that
all school-bus windows shou ld provide an
opening at least 12 Inches high to permit
adult-sized students to exit. (Most school·
bus windows, Including Kentucky's, open to
a height of nine inches).
• Between 1968 and 197,t, the National
Transportation Safety Board issued four
recommendations for Improving emergen-
cy exits on all buses, including those for
schools. The board asked federal rule-mak·
ers to require more exils or a performance
standard based on actual bus-passenger
evacuation tests. (A fifth recommendation
for more exits came in 1978, the year after
the new federal rules requiring only one
exit took effect.)
The safely board was created in 1967 to
investigate catastrophic accidents and
make safety recommendations. But It Is up
to other agencies to write actua l regula-
tions. In the case or school buses, that has
been lhe responsibility of the NaUonal
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
si nce 1971.
"It's unfortunate that we kept recom-
mending, and no change was made," said
John H. Reed, a member of the board when
It issued two of its strongest recommenda-
. lions on bus exits. " We'd make recommen-
dations and publish our reports," Reed said,
"but we had no authority over the other
agencies."
Alan Pollock, a spokesman tor the NTSB,
sa id the Issue of school-bus exlls ls certain
10 be addressed In the agency's analysis or
the accident and in Its safety recommenda·
lions.
And Barry Felrlce, as.soclate administra·
tor tor rule-making at the National High-
way Trame Safety Administration, said an
internal review of federal standards ls al-
ready under way because of the crash.
"We might actually embark upon rule-
maklng." Felrlce said.
Crashes spur action
The crucial decisions about emergency
escapefromschoolbusesweremadelnthe
1970s. They came after several major bus
accidents and during a comprehensive
overhaul of school-bus design and construc-
tion.
In 1967 th e Federal Highway Administra-
tion began to solicit comment about emer-
gency escape from buses, and the School
Bus Manufacturers Institute responded. It
proposed that all buses tor55 or more pas-
sengers be equipped with at least four
emergency exits, In some combination of
three types - doors at the rear and the left
side, and window exits.
The next year two fatal crashes of com·
merclal buses prompted the NTSB to issue
a series of calls for better emergency exit
from all buses, including school buses.
On the afternoon of March 7, 1968, a
short-order cook named Michael Leo Barry
left Bak er, Calli., for Las Vegas In a Cbev-
rolet tw<Hloor sedan. During the previous
6 ½ hours, he had swallowed a quart of
wtneandatleast48ouncesofbeer,becom-
lng "mean drunk, argumentative and loud."
Heading the wrong way on Interstate 15,
he forced at lenst five vehicles off the road
before colliding head-on with a commercial
bus.
Barry was killed Instantly. As the bus
rolled over, exposed wiring Ignited leaking
power-steeri ng fluid, which ignited leaking
diesel fuel. The fire spread rapidly and the
bus was gutted, Eleven passengers escaped;
19 were trapped, dying In the fire.
Nine months IaIer, on Dec. 26, 1968, a
chartered intercity bus en route from Chi·
cago to Washington left the icy Pennsylva-
nia Turnpike, va ulted onto its roof and slid
into a drainage ditch near Beaver Falls, Pa.
Three passengers were killed, 14 were hos-
pitalized and 23 were treated and released.
"The absence of tire was a major factor
ln minimizing the number of fatalities," the
NTSB concluded In Its report on the Beaver
Falls accident.
" Had fire ensued . . . it is probable that a
large percentage of the occupants would
tudes." It also recommended that no new
buses, including school buses. be allowed on
the roads without having such tests.
Rules suggested, rejected
In 1069 the Federal Highway Admlnislra·
lion concurred with the NTSB's approach.
But federal rule-makers were also con-
cerned with the amount of force bus win·
dows should be able to withstand to keep
passengers from being ejected In a crash.
In 1970 the regulators proposed a rule to
specify window strength on all buses and to
require push-out windows on all buses ex-
cept school buses. They were exempted be.
cause of "the added risk of children falling
from moving school buses."
In response. the safety board Issued an-
other call for a rule on emergency extts -
and repeated its •recommendations tor es-
cape testing.
But in 1972 the traffic-safety administra-
tion rejected that approach, saying that es-
cape tests would be Impractical. It went on
to require that most buses be equipped with
push-out windows - and It exempted
school buses.
The tragedies mount
Meanwhile, accidents continued to focus
attention on the Issue of emergency exits.
On Nov. 3, 1973, a Greyhound bus carry-
Ing 45 passengers ran off the road and hit a
bndge abutment near Sacra mento, Cali f.,
killing the driver and 12 passengers and in·
juring 33.
The safety board reported that escape
and rescue efforts were Impeded because
the windows were "difficult to open and dif·
ficult to hold open." It said a fire would
have resulted in more deattts and recom-
mended new regu lal\ons - Including an
emergency llghting system - to speed
evacuation of buses.
The debate rekindled again In 1974, this
time as the result of congressional action.
Congress passed a law requiring the traf·
fie-safety agency to enact standards In sev-
era l areas or school-bus safety, Including
emergency exits.
The agen cy proposed several significant
changes in the construction of buses-but
Its proposal on emergency exits called for
only one rear door.
Safety advocates were outraged.
"The Center for Auto Safety deplores the
weakness of the proposed standard on
school-bus emergency exits," a staff re-
searcher for the independent safety group
wrote in 1975. "The proposal ignores all the
research ... ."
administration went ahead with its propos-
al, and the entire package of new school- to the rear door.
bus safety standards took effect April I , Bu t in the dia logue between the NTSB
1977. and th e tra ffic-safety agency, the recom·
"Many objected that the proposa l pro- mendatlon withered on th e vi ne.
vided for too few emergency doors and re-
In June 1978 the traffic-safety agency re-
quested requirements for additional side plied that the standard windshield on
doors end roof exits," a preface to the rule school buses was designed to be kicked out
said. " The agency does not discourage the
In an emergency. even though federal regu-
inclusion of additional emergency exits on lations didn 't require that. SO the wind·
school buses."
shield provided an adequate additional exit.
Beyond that statement, the agency's pub-
lic records contain no written arguments The safety board replied tbat, It the wind·
against the addition of more exits, nor any shields were emergency exits, they should
explanation of the decision not to require be marked as such.
more than one. The rule-makers said that would be un-
But David Soule, who was In charge of safe, because schoolchildren or vandals
school-bus safety for the agency from Its would tamper with them.
creationuntll 1985,saldhestillbelleves
The safety board then suggested that
that one rear emergency door Is adequate
and thal evacuation training is a better In· even bus drivers were unaware that the
vestment than additional eilts. windshield was an exit, The traftic"53fety
agency agreed to Include the information In
"You can move a lot of people In a hurry driver-training programs and to notify all
when they are organized and not stepping school districts - but not schoolchildren -
oneachother,"Soulesald.
ot the feature.
Felrice, the agency's associate director On Nov, 13, 1979, lhe NTSB closed the
for rule-making, said he would not try to recommendation, calling that an "accept·
defend the standard on school-bus exits, but able alternate action."
he added that "a lot of the agency's think·
Ing starts with the extreme safely of school James B. King, a member of the safety
buses. lnthepasttlveyearstherehave board when Jt made that recommendation,
been en average of only 10 or 12 occupant said the board's staff decided that the add!·
fatalities a year in school buses, out of lional education was better than nothing.
about 4:6,000 people dying in highway crash·
"There's a general attitude.'' he said,
es each year." "that If we talk about school-bus safety
The NTSB, however, remains uncon· we'llmake peoplethinkthatthe schoolbus-
vinced. It has kept the Beaver Falls recom- es are unsafe." He said the rule-making
mendation for improved emergency escape agencies "view these school-bus accidents
In an "open" status, because it never result- as episodic events. They will tell you about
ed in acceptable action. the millions or young people lhat are
moved safely every year. And they'll talk
about cost effectiveness. And if they can
Real-life demonstration stall long enough, everyone goes away and
The most recent recommendation for leaves them alone.
more exits on school buses came In an accl·
"But we know these accidents wlll hap-
dent report issued shortly after the new pen again. It ls simply amazing the resis-
standard took effect.
tance to change In this area. And to this
On March 8, 1977, a tractor-trailer rig day, I don't understand it."
rear-ended a stopped school bus on U.S. 29 Information for thia atory was alao gathered
near Rustburg, Va. The Impact lifted the by atatt writer ScoN Thurm.
rea r ofthebus,andthevehlcle rolledover
on Its right side. , -- - - - - - . - -- -- -
" Passing motorists and nearby residents
began to rescue the trapped occupants of TOMORROW
the bus almost immediately," the safely·
board report said. Bui the bus was on its The perils of polyurethane
seat cushions have been known
right side, blocking the main entrance door;
the rear emergency door was damaged and for years, but the cushions are
could not be opened: and none or the left· still being used in almost all
side windows was open. school buses. Also, the
Finally, the report said, the right half of Carrollton crash has stirred
the divided windshield was pried open with debate over fuel tanks.
a crowbar. ' - - - - - - -- ----~

JOIN THE FESTIVITIES ...

Hess's Is Giving You A Special "Passport" To Europe! Eat, Drink And Be Merry...Our Ethnic Celebration
Is Happening This Thursday July 14Ih At Hess's Downtown Store! Dine On Authentic German, French
And Italian Cuisine, Between 11 A.M . And 2 P.M., And From 5 P.M . To 8 P.M .,

1 ---==-------------
Sample Delectable Cheeses, Sip Delicious Espresso,
----------------7

0:~F'T::.=
, Enjoy Our Polka Fest And So Much More!

Special German e~The Kahlln German Band will

'12,'/>uunb,,IJ -
c::>~ '13~
cil~urAE~ftr~s Italian Heritage, . .Taste
0 th
Evei~~fn~~~n~ fa:en" In e:ii~e~h~,i:;,::~Y J~~ VivaLa Fra n ce ! Di scover T he Spirit Of The • The ilalian peopIe ~:~~ a~n ~ur Thi rd Floor
g~~ ~~~
2
:i:tl,etw1f"~t~~~;ua;~h
1
,,£;.i
German melodies bet· Land Of Romance On Ou r Second Floor ~~~i:~~~uf~~usic, son~~~d":l'Xn~~f~~r;~~~!;
: : ; Tr~~3~ p~m. and ~:00 p.m. ecial event caterer ~ill be • Playing in sweet accord! Take a stroll to our 9uai nt 2nd mg through spirited folrmteaches you the art of Italian danc-
11
0 Perfection Catering, the snpd authentic "Kartottel pan); floor where you 'll be entertained by the beautiful ,nslrument iaSled through the gen u~i_c and colorful dances that have
·n delicious sauerbraten a and potato pancakes , of France, the accordion. feslivities wilr be held 0 ;r~ •on~: Show your energy, The

Feast on this class,~. nderbar!"

1
: ~l,1hat's tender, a:~;~~1:"1or just $3 per person,
, palate
• Delight your lastebuds, Feast on Chicken Florentine
prepared by Perfection Catering for only $3 per person!
a
nd 2
p.m., and from 5:30 u;.~."~ fi~
~:ren 12 noon
0 H

~=- ~~~~1! ~~i~:r~:~;

1
:,,ad" ~7c,;;!~ !~ ~~~ 9;~ :~~~~~/r~~f:
\ he ;~ s~;~Z,:ti;rb'f~!r~~~ ~re:::. ~:;\~;:; 1 I
~:J~~t~,~7;~:;~ te·~~s~Yn; ~~
of oli-fashioned

i:~;: a Jew...then take some me

0
whether ~ur tas;hop will be selling ah6anef~r yourwho\e
,
You 'll find them as pleasing to the eye as they are to your
palate!
0
:'brew" is o~r:;~o~~e°ur H~usewa~es De~~~m::'.cr~;
;g hot cup.. ,or IWo. You'~ii~'~R a fnend and enjoy a pip-
family to en1oyl ed coffee...then have a • Flavorful French cheeses will be sampled and sold by •yond compare! e laS!e and aroma simply
0 Follow the aroma 1 O! ,'~~,W:e;,ewlng a flavortul ble nd the Kroger Cheese Shop! Treat yourself lo several temp-
steaming cup on Httes; ~aker\ . ting French varieties. • .. looking for a new experie . .
with our Krups co e d ppte strudel will wh,_ sk you! • Artist Joyce Sweet Bryant will be sketching portraits in i~~t ~ :0~•;s~!n~~ 1~: me~i~.;a:~~f~~~:~Sgi~~i~
.ho(3~~:r,~. 1 0
1 our scrumptious 8 fndulge in a slice for_
away to a small cal~'; ar lovers participate in our m~~d~j
~le ~~~:i i~~~'on~sta!nCod:~-~~si:~,tt~et~eu;:sears
Jusl $ .
~twyo~ro;J p~:.·~~~
the traditional French custom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and
8 p.m. Let her create a personal sketch
hearty Italian meal prepar:rtion of Fettuc,ni Primavera a
~n this fine fare for lunch or ~n~1~tio7 Catering. Fea~t
reat your entire family! r on y $2 per P8rson!
Gummi Bears in OUf l~IFT CERTIFICATE!
AND A $20 HESS
5
,. , ,
; 0 ;:~~~~ ~:g;i~:!n~~~ht~r~~~h ~~~;,~: 1e;t~~~;r~~:
and pictures of France, courtesy of 1he Umvers,ty Of
Louisville Department Of Modern La nguages.
• Paris, France and the magnificent Eiffel Tower are Just
moments away! Viff.N a scaled-down repllca of the elaborate
984-foot tower on our 2nd Floor,

L: . ___ ,_
 METRO EDITION, 38 PAGES *******
Stalled election results
bring protests, raise
fraud fears in Mexico
By LARRY ROHTER
C New York Times News Service
MEXICO CITY - Thousands or Mexicans
gathered at vote-tallying centers around the
country yesterday to protest the delay In
announcing official results from last
Wednesday's presidential election and to
contest the victory claimed by the ruling
lostltutlooat Revotutlooary Party.
Followers of Cuaubtemoc Cardenas, the
candidate of the left-of-center National
Democratic Front, who late saturday night
made a victory claim of bis own, Joined sup-
porters of Manuel Clouthier, the standard·
bearer of the right-of-center National Action
Par!'/, at many or Ihe 300 district ofllces
where results were stJII being tabulated.
The Federal Election Commission, which
had promised to announce complete returns
V(ednesday nigh~ continued meeting In
Mexico City and released results only from
some scattered congressional races.
There was no Indication when totals from
the presidential vote might be announced,
but it seemed unlikely that the results would
be made public before Wednesday.
With Important diplomatic, trade and
strategic interests at stake In Mexico, the
Reagan administration has maintained al·
most complete silence on the election dis-
pute because of Mexican sensitivity to even
SUNDAE IN THE PARK: John H.,..n, 7, c:ompelod In an Ic-ream-eetlng
contest at Joe CreHon Park yeaterday to c:ttebratt National Ice Crenm Day. The
event benefited the Kentucky Special Olympic•.
Police in Mexico capture
last 2 Eddyville escapees
By JOHN VOSKUHL
SfaffWriler
After fleeing across several states and the
ffl
Mexican border, the last two of eight escap-
ees from the Kentucky State Penitentiary
were captured yesterday In Juarez, Mexico.
The arrests ended 3½ weeks or freedom
tor James Blanton, 29, of Farler, Ky., In
Perry County, and Derek Quintero, 26, or
Clarksville, Tenn., who escaped with six oth-
1 Blanton and Quin·
f[prison :.1"1
~:break In~~g~l
Ken-
tucky history.
Mexican police
raided the two es-
capees' room at the
Santa Fe Hotel in ·
,
-~~ .
downtown Juarez . nicate with us,"
yesterday and cap-
tured them about 3
,:
p.m. EDT. Authori-
ties had placed the Blanton
hotetundersurveil·
lance several hours earlier, on lnformaUon
taken from BIily Hall, the sixth Inmate cap-
tured, and Informants.
"They were In the room by themselves
and were not armed," said Richard
Schwein, special agent In charge of the FBI
ofllce In El Paso, Texas.
"They offered no resistance, except that
one of them was arguing, screaming and
cursing that he couldn't be brought back to
the States."
Both men are being held in the El Paso
County Detention Center, facing Kentucky
charges or second-degree escape, federal
charges of unlawful flight to avoid confine-
ment and Tennessee charges of murder.
Quintero bad been serving 37 years for
, 8'1aineos,_ _ _ _ B 6-10
Comlca _ _ _ __ c &, 7
CtaUlfled eda _ _ c 6, D a-12
Death, _ _ _ __ _ e•
F1ature1 _ __
PeoplL-- -- -- A 2
_ sect1on C
Racing resulta _ _ _ _ D 5
SCMtncI Journal _ _ _ B 5
Sports _ _ _ _ section D
rv _ _ __ _ _ c2
COPYRIGHT@ 1988, THE COURIER JOURNAL, LOUISVILLE, KY, A GANNffi NEWSPAPER
a hint of Yankee Imperialism.
Csrdenas, who last year broke with the
ruling party, known as PR!, based bis victo-
ry claim on partial returns and on what be
called "rellable Information from Inside the
government."
Cardenas, the son of a former Mexican
president, called tor a "popular mobiliza-
tion" to keep the PR! !rom stealing the elec-
tion on behalf of Its candidate, C.rlos Sali-
nas de Gortari, who claimed victory even
before any vote totals had been announced.
Cordenas said any e!lorl by saunas and
the PR! to thwart the popular will "would
be the technical equivalent of a coup d'etat"
and cou ld cause Mexico to "fall into a situa-
tion of ungovernabllity."
Following that statement, C8rdenas met
with Clouthier, who ea rlier Saturday had
led more than 50,000 ot his followers In a
march on the capital's main plaza.
Clouthier announced that the the National
Action Party, or PAN, would immediately
begin a campaign of "peaceful civil resis-
tance" to protest what be called "the most
vulgar vote fraud in Mexican history."
In the northern border state of Chihua-
hua, a PAN stronghold in recent years, pro-
testers formed an automobile barricade that
See DELAYED VOTE
Back page, col. 4, this seclton
STAFF PHOTO BV OUREU. HAU. JR
kidnapping and robbery. Blanton was serv-
ing 48 years for murder.
Mexican Federal Judicial Police and Chi-
huahua State Police took Quintero and Blan-
ton at the nearest U.S. Customs office - on
a bridge between Juarez and El Paso -
where they were arrested by FBI agents.
Mexican federal ponce are authorized to
deport "undesirable aliens" immediately,
FBI Special Agent Gary Webb said. "It
eliminates a lot of paper work."
:~~io~ve o~
0
r:~r; '----- -----------------'
1 Back page, col. I, this section
whereabouts for the
past 3½ weeks,
Webb said.
They were "rather
unwilling 10 com mu-
Schwein said.
Kentucky State
PenltenllaryWarden
Quintero WIiiiam Seabold said
he was "tremendous-
ly relieved" that the !ugltlves had been cap- lected for the prestigious Army War Col-
tured.
When Inmates escape, he sa id, "You take
It personally. And you learn from your mis-
lakes."
Seabold, who had said repeatedly in the
past three weeks that the Inmates would be
caught, was surprised that they had been
able to leave the country. " I thought they'd
hove been caught long before now."
The arrest came tour days after Hall, 25,
of Paducah, Ky., was caught In downtown El
Paso, across the Rio Grande from Juarez.
Blanton, Quintero and Hall were charged
See LAST TWO the drunken outburst with saving his life.
Back page, col. 5, this section And he wants other soldiers to know about
Health parties
in the home
Features, Page C 1
KENTUCKY'S BUS TRAGEDY
THE
SEARCH
FOR
SAFETY SECOND OF THREE PARTS
f - - - - - - - -- -- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - 1
'Readily ignitable' seats
used on most school buses
By SCOTT THURM
Staff Writer
Eleven years ago, they were barred
from most new city buses.
Nine years ago, a prominent scientl·
fie panel labeled them a "serious haz-
ard" and recommended they be re-
moved from alt buses.
About the same time, the nation's top
transportation official took initial steps
to prevent their use on school buses.
But today, virtually every American
child who rides a school bus sits on
cushions made of polyurethane, or
foam rubber - cushions described by a
National Academy of Sciences commit·
tee as "readily Ignitable."
Attention Is agai n being focused on
the nammablllty or school-bus seats be-
cause of the collision May 14 of a pick-
up truck and a former school bus on
Interstate 71 near C.rrollton, setting orr
a !Ire that kilted 27 people.
Kentucky Fire Marshal Bill Martin
has said the seats contributed to the
spread of the fire and emitted toxic
fumes. Federal accident investigators
are examining the seats' role in the
fire.
Other federal officials are consider·
ing whether to Impose stricter namma-
blllty standards for materials on buses.
And Kentu cky officials plan to test seat
covers that are more flame-resistant.
Even before the Cnrrollton tragedy, a
growing number of school officials
were becoming concerned about the
flammability of bus seats.
But few school districts have actually
made the switch to less flammable,
more costly Neoprene - the cushion-
Ing material used In most city buses.
And new seat coverings designed to de·
Fort Knox steps up alcohol-abuse battle
By DAVID CAZARES
StaffWrtter
FORT KNOX, Ky. - Eighteen months
ago, Lt. Col. Albert Celani was headed !or
early promotion. A battalion commander se-
lege, he was considered a shoo-In for colo-
nel by his commanding general.
Celani's career came to a standstill, how-
ever, because of alcohol. "I was drunk and
disorderly at an official function and I
abused one of my soldiers in a drunken
rage," he said.
After the incident. Celani lost his com-
mand, was removed from the War College
list and was denied promotion twice. He
now handles personnel and training matters
for Fort Knox's armor corps.
Celani, 44, is not bitter, however. A recov·
ertng alcoholic, he credits the outcome of
lay a fire's reach ing the polyurethane
cushions have found little acceptance.
The result: School buses still are
equipped to comply with a 16-year-otd
federal fiammablltty rule that can be
met by poster board or thick !liter pa-
per.
"At the time that standard was intro-
duced, It may have been sufficient, but
we have better material now," said
Paul Stewart, former director or stu-
dent transportation in West Virginia
and a member of the National Safety
Council.
The federal regulation specifies that
under test conditions, Interior materials
cannot bum faster than 4 inches a min-
ute. From Its Inception, auto-safety ex-
perts crltlcized the ru le as too lenient
for cars.
And a company that sells Neoprene
cushions suggested that buses - which
carry many more passengers and thus
lake longer to evacuate - should be
required to use material that Is less
flammable.
But officials at the National Highway
Trafllc sarety Administration - which
sets safety standards for new vehicles
- appear, from public records, to have
given the ls.5ue little thought. They nev-
er responded, for example. to the criti-
cism of applying the regulation to bus-
es.
In a 1976 lelter, James Gregory, ad-
ministrator of the trartlc-sa rety agency
at that time, said the regu lation had
been "engineered primarily tor the pas-
senger-ear environment." But Gregory
said there wa'I no evidence that the rule
was not adeqLiam for buses.
Another federal agency soon reached
See MOST
PAGE 5, col. I, Jhissection
"The old macho image
is gone. You can be a
tough guy without
being a hard drinker."
- - - -- - - - - -
the dangers of alcohOI abuse, particularly
drunken driving.
For soldiers at Fort Knox, it would be
hard not 10 know. While the post has always
taken a dim view of alcohol abuse, otricials
say they are getting tougher.
Awareness or the problem has heightened
since the May 14 bus crash near Carrollton
in which 27 people from the Fort Knox and
Radcli ff area were killed. The crash OC·
cu rred when a pickup truck, driven by a
man whose blood-alcohol level tested at
more than twice the legal limit, collided
Mars a lot
like Earth?
Science Journal, Page B 5
MONDAY, JULY 11, 1988 35 CENTS
Overreliance
on computers
seen as factor
in jet downing
By GEORGE C. WILSON
C The Wa.shlngton Post
WASHINGTON - Computer-generaied
mistakes may have prompted the USS Vin-
cennes to shoot down an Iranian jeUlner in
the Persian Gulf last week, say senior mili-
tary officials.
Information from the officials, who have
been briefed on the incident, raised the pos-
sibility that the 290 people aboard the Jet
may have been the fi rst known victims of
"artificia l intelllgence," the technique of let-
ting machines go beyond monitoring to de-
duce and make recommendations to hu-
mans.
The cruiser's high-tech radars, receivers
and computers known as the Aegis battle-
management system not only can tell the
captain what Is In the sky or water beyond
his eyesight, but also can deduce for him
whetber the unseen object Is friend or toe.
This time, the officials said, the comput-
ers' programming could not deal with the
ambiguities of the airliner flight, so It made
the wrong deduction and recommended the
wrong soluUon to capt. Will C. Rogers Ill.
They said Rogers concurred with the Aegis
system - which wrongly ldentl!led the ap-
proaching plane as hosllle - and fired two
See SHIP
Back page, col. I, this section
Presbyterian
cash crunch
clouds move
to Louisville
By LESLIE SCANLON
Staff Writer
Aug. 1, the day the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) moves into Its Louisville headquar-
ters, wlll mark an exciting beginning. The
move will reunite, physically, a denomina-
tion divided for more than 100 years, and It
will bring hundreds of new jobs to the reviv-
ing riverfront.
For the Presbyterians, however, the move
brin~ hard reality, too. It will place add!·
tlonal financial pressures on a denomina-
tion already feeling a pinch.
Last year, the church's membership slid
below 3 million - the result of a 30 percent
decline in the number of members over the
past two decades, according to John Mulder,
president of the Louisville Presbyterian
Theological seminary, which is studying
membership trends.
Despite the declining membership, the
amount of money given to Presbyterian con-
gregations actually has Increased slightly In
recent years; donations last year totaled
more than $1.6 billion. But more and more.
congregations are keeping that money In
their local communities Instead of passing It
along to the central church.
This means the denomination's employ-
ees will be working in a new headquarters,
in a new city, under a new administrative
See PRESBYTERIANS'
with the bus on Interstate 71.
On June 23, Maj. Gen. Thomas Tait, com-
manding general of Fort Knox, Issued a
memorandum to all commanders and su-
pervisory personnel on the post outlining
addltlonal steps 10 be taken in the fight
against drunken driving. Among the gener-
al's directives were:
• Distributing more infonnatlon to sol-
diers on how a DUI conviction will affect
them.
• Publishing drunken-driving arrests in
the post newspaper.
• Decreasing emphasis on alcohol at post
events.
• Developing additional work derails and
extra duty programs such os demanding
physica l training on Monday mornings.
The post's military police have also dou-
See FORT KNOX
Back page, col. I , !his section
Relief, by thunder
• Louisville area - Hot and
humid today. Cooler tomorrow wilh
a chance ol thunderstorms bolh
days. High today. near 95;
tomorrow. 85. Low ton,gnt . 72.
• t<ant ucky - Hot and nazy with
5cattered thunderstorms hkely. Highs
lC'! dJy around 93, 1omorrow. 85 10
90 l ows tonight, 70 to 75
Details, Page e 2

Placement,
protection
of fuel tanks
draw scrutiny
By SCOTT THURM
Staff Wrltu
For 43 years the fuel tanks on school bus-
es have been bolted 10 the right side of the
chassis. just behind the front door.
The choice was largely a mutter of Intu-
ition: School ofticlals and bus manufactur-
ers thought the tank would be too vulner-
able at the front, back or lert side of the
bus.
Theyneve r~'iiled whether the spot by
the front door was the best place - even
after a federal safety agency questioned In
1972whethera flrefromleaklng fuelmlght
block the door, trapping people on a burn-
Ing bus.
They also neve r seriously considered ad-
vanced ways of preventing fuel spills dur-
ing crashes. such as the rubber bladders
that have been used on stock cars and hell-
copters for more than 20 years.
But now - two months afler a former
school bus collided with a pickup Lruck on
Interstate 71 near carroll!on, puncturing
the bus's gas tank and starting a fire lhal
blocked the front door and killed 27 people
- it appears those issues may be studied
forthetlrst time.
An analysis by The Courier-Journal of
bus-accident statistics from six states Indi-
cates that school buses are, In fact, struck
least often In the forward portion or the
right side.
Bui the statistics can't answer whether It
Is safer to move the tank to a spot more
llkely to be hit, but v.·here a fire would not
block an exit.
"Are you better off providing the emer-
gency egress when you need II at the risk of
a few more fires?" asked Barry Felrlce.
associate admlnlstralor for rule-making at
the Na tional Highway Traffic sa rety Ad -
ministration. Felrice said ogenry officials
will examine fuel-tank placement and pro-
teclion as part of a review of school-bus
regu lations prompted by the Cerrolllon
crash.
"Thar's a tough one," said Wilbur Rumph,
an engineer tor Blue Bird Body Co. In Fort
Valley, Ga .• and chairman of the engineer-
Ing committee of the School Bus Manufac-
turers Institute.
Rumph said that at a l 990 conference of
school-transportation officials, he will push
for a detailed study of fuel-tank placement.
The carrollton crash, he said, should force
everyone involved with school buses to re-
consider old assumptions.
The issue has been overlooked until now,
according to Rumph, Felrice and other ex·
Most school-bus seats are highly flammable
Continued from Page One
lhe opposite conclusion, however.
In 1977 the Urban Mass Transl! Admlnls-
tratlon, which regula1es and helps fund
commuter-bus and rail systems, required
~~~'em:, bii:1=~~;~t~,,e~:~=~:i
nammable than polyurethane.
0
r~
The move, which in effect forced most
buses to use Neoprene. followed a series of
bus fires in the mid-1 970s.
Two years later, the National Ma1erlals
Advisory Board - an arm of the National
Academy of Sciences - concluded that
"polyurethane roam seat cushions are a se-
rious hazard In current buses." The board
recommended polyurethane be prohibited
In new buses - Including school buses -
an~h~er~:~~1tybr:i:ti~!.n:~shlons, the pan- ion was destroyed.
el found, are " the most serious contrlbu-
tors" to bus fires and emit deadly hydro- amounts or smoke, but Its low nammablllty
gen-cyanide rumes when burned. The panel allows more lime tor escape - 8nd re-
criticized the federal standard as "extreme- duces lbe chances of exposure to deadly
ly lenient" and " Inadequate 10 provide bus th emlcals. In lhe 1979 tests. rats subjected
passenger sa fety" in fires. 10 smoke from th e polyurel hane cushion
But the acade my has no orga nized sys- were lncapaclt~ted In less th an four min-
tern for following up Its recommendations
and pushing government agencies to act. ~ 157~ - - - - - -- ~
~~~uJ:;~~~~t ~ajra~~;~~:u!:,:11~~
~~~. m=~=teou~I~~~~~;· ;ldlh~ta~~re:r~
1805 FLAt.1Mi\BILITY OF SCHOOL
board. eus'1HTEAIOR MATERIALS
Someone almost did. Significance: Nons1gn1hca111
Abou t the time the panel's report was Legal Autho,1ty: 15 use 1392, 15 u
~:;P~~~k ~~:i/~r!~~~~P~~::~~:d~~~: 1407
tratlon officials to develop regulations that CFR Citation: •9 CFR 5' 1
would have effectively barred polyurethane
cushions from new school buses.
:~=
A proposal was drafted, but II !anguished
after Adams resigned In July 1979.
th ~~::dw~eek pha~ki! ~;:; .~.e~~g
Williams, who spent 20 years at the Nation·
:~ f~::ri~~~ln~1~riJa:=!~ Adm inistration
sh~i~~ ... P:~k:J:tln::. '~l~e~~!~1y a~dem~
to keep sliding back into obscu rity."
ofri~~~: :/i::
!~f:c:f!~:na:~~~y~:~
Included the proposal In the " regulatory
agenda" published by th e federal govern-
.
:~r~~ ~~I~,~~~ ;:rl~~~h:~~~~~~I~ ::
sociate admi nistrator for rul e-making.
Bus fires resulting in injuries are rnrf'.
Fe lrice and ot her safety experts said. In
:r~~ ~ht,~:'~~~ft~na~~: ~i;s:~~~c~'i~·
dren 10 die as a result of fire on an Amen
con school bus.
" For tha1 reason, lhe agency didn't give It
serious attention," Felrice said.
The agency had promised lo study more
s1ringent standards for vehicle Interiors
when II Imposed the flammability rule In U.S. otticlal1 have repeatedly published
1972. But Felrice said he knows of no agen- this propo11I for le11-flammable seals
cy research In th e past 10 years.
WHERE SCHOOL BUSES
GET HIT
perts, because school-bus fires involving
punctured fuel tanks are very rare.
"We've gone back and looked at serious
school-bus fires, and bastcally we don't find
any," Felrl ce said.
Post-(! rash fires are "rare for autos and
even rarer for buses," echoed Robert Dew-
ey of the Center for Auto Sa fety In Washing-
ton, D. C.. which typically Is critical of man-
ufacturers and federal regulators. "There
aren't a significant number of fires Involv-
ing buses, at least the newer ones."
Newer buses are believed to be safer be-
cause a 1977 federa l regulation requires
school-bus fuel tanks to withstand a 30-mph
test crash from any angle without leaking
more th an a small amount of fuel. Most
manufac1urers built steel cages around the
tank to comply with the rule.
In addillon, increasing numbers of school
buses are powered by diesel fuel, wh ich Is
much less likely to Ignite than gasoline.
Tank unlikely to be hit
The National Transportation Safety
Board last year studied 43 accidents Involv-
ing school buses with the protective cage.
The fuel tan k ruptured In only one case,
and no tire resulted. 1n other accidents,
buses were hil near their fuel tanks by a
tractor-trailer truck and a freight train
without spilling fuel.
The 1977 Superior bus involved In the
Carrollton crash was made shortly before
the regulation took effect: it did not have
the protective cage. However, Kentucky
Fire Marshal Bill Martin has questioned
whether the cage would have prevented the
Si nce the carrollton accident, however,
officials of the traffic"58.fety agency are
:~%~! ~::?us5:t}~~ A~/~~:~
1
ir::~a~~~
agency is examining lhe more stringent re-
quirements imposed by the mass-transit
:fi~~c~J:i~i1:rr:i:sf~~dait~~a~:d::~~vl-
In recent interviews, fire experts and
government and bus-<:ompany officials
agreed that Neoprene _ much of which is
made at the E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
plant in Loulsvllle _ Is much less namma-
ble than polyurethane.
In 1979 tests by McDonnell-Douglas Corp.
on subway-car seats, only 3 percent of a
Neoprene cushion burned after being ex-
posed 10 a name for JO minutes; by com-
parlson, 67 percenl or 8 polyurethane cush-
Burning Neoprene can emit large
=
IN: 212 7-AC20
01 :~c~n~esro~ie~~~ o~:r! t~~~O5b~r~li
SC 1 base cushion," said Morris Adams, vice
n presldenl for marketing and corporate ar-
51
L In addition, Neoprene cushions wear out
1O dll e· None 1 more quickly than polyurethane, leading to
w:u;d
LAebg,•,, c•t·.a utili1.c guiJcllnes
1 dn c
f(ae!~~~~;i1il~\~~:~:ic~~sti~,'~r 11chool
bus lnlcdor motcrmls.
13 hie· --
;;;n _:_ ~l~- FRClle
NeKl Action Uodctormlncd
small Entity: Yes
11
Agency Contnct: R. !~~~k,Notlonnl
D~par~mc~~:/r,!';:r:iy Arlmi~istrotlon,
~~!~;~~nth !,lrN'1, sw. Washinglon,
DC :ir,~. 10:! :JGG Oft.I?
RIN: 2 121-M 4"
toaG. r.oNSUfAER UlrOAMATION ~
WEf STOPPING DISTANCE
Slgnlf\conce: Non~tgruficant
15
Leg3il Autho,lty: ,s use 1392• use
1~0,
In school bu111 - but without results,
THE SEARCH FOR SAFETY
tank from being punctured by another
piece of the bus.
"The Kentucky accident Is relatively
unique in where it got the bus," sa id Ed
Donn, president of the National Association
of Pupil Transportation. "ll's been very
rare we've had this type of accident."
Statistics bear him out.
The Courie r-Journal examined one to
three years of lnfomtatlon from each of six
states detalllng where school buses were hit
- by other vehicles or roadside objects -
during colllslons.
An analysis of the S,800 accidents showed
that the area around the fuel tank absorbed
the Impact In sllghlly more !ban 5 percent
oftheaccldentsstudled-lhesmallestper-
centage of any of IO spots on the bus.
The analysis showed that buses were
more likely to be hit on the left than on lhe
right. The left side took the impact In 15.5
percent of !he accidents, white th e right
tookllinl2 .8 percen1.
That confirmed an intuilive judgment
made by school officials and bus manufac-
turers al a 194S conference, where they
fl:ted the location or the fuel lank In an
effort to standardize the bus chassis.
Rumph said the selection was a process
of elimination: The front and back of the
bus were thrown out because of the fre-
quency of front-end and rear-end collisions;
and the left side was viewed as riskier than
lbe right because of the danger of collisions
with oncoming traffic.
He and other school-bus company offi-
cials also said It wou ld be difficult to pro-
tect the tank by placing it be1ween a bus's
utes and dead In I~ than eight minutes.
Smoke from the Neoprene cushion did not
:~~:~~c~a,tl~~r kill any rats over an even
Even after gasoline was poured on seats
In a separate test, Neoprene cushions
~,~:~red on ly slightly and did not reed the
" I feel absolutely conlidenl they (Neo-
prene cushions) would not have con1ributed
to the fire spread'' In th e Carrollton crash,
said R. Brady WIiiiamson, profes.wr of civil
enginee ring at the University of (allfornia
at Berkeley, who reviewed the McDonnell-
Douglas test and conducted the gasoline
tesL,;.
Despite evidence that dates back more
than a decade, howtver, Neoprene seat
cushions are rare on school buses.
na~:h~:fy :n~anbd~ul ~:~~a~~~~:rt~~u:~
California using Neoprene, Including San
Diego and Los Angeles.
"It's a matter of stalislical probability
!hat something like this (Garrollton acci-
dent) could happen," said Dan Stephens, di-
rector of rransponalion for the San Diego
schools. "One such Incident cou ld cost us
much more than the materials."
The main argument against Neoprene
~o~1~!e~~~c~ S~~l~e~ ~1~ r~~;a~:~~~
1 gets Into the pa~nger compartment," said
3 llon, he urged other transportation direc-
"That 's too expensive to consider as a
~_!~
01 Thomas Built Buses in High Point,
increased replacement costs, according to
Rick Amann, vice president or Grand Rap-
Ids Foam Rubber Co., which sells both ma-
~~~l~l:~o·~T:1~1tv:npdr~huect~?s~e ~~~ em a
th
But Cslifornla officials said they didn't
co:!:~~~t~:rn~bs~~~:r~°:e ~~:~·ions add
~~~~;w!;~~ ~~;!e,:~i~0t1~:ts~~:1~
buy. And Ralph Jacobs, assistant director or
~:ru:\'1?t~ ~~ ~ ~!! 1
:Sp~~l1~:~
thal district's Neoprene cushions, some of
which are 10 years old.
1
fir!h:ro t~~l~~s~~~c:dil! ;::~;grs g;~\~;
buses than for children on school buses
strikes some experts as strange.
"If 1hey can afford to put It In city buses,
~:y;~e~avc~~?I d:ff~~~t 1~f 1:o:h~lco::~~~
said C. M. Sliepcevich, a professor of
chemica l engineering at the Unlverslly of
Oklahoma. Sliepcevlch conducted govern-
menl-sponsored tests on the flammability of
vehicle Interiors in the early 1970s that
helped establish the federal regulation.
The resistance to Neoprene has led some
people concerned about school-bus fires to
seek another approach: seat covers that are
chassls railsbecause that spacelsoccupied Si milar systems are used 10 prevent fires
by the drive sha ft and exhaust system. Bothon bellcopters, military airplanes and
of those systems also generate heat, which power boats, according 10 Dave Dak, mar-
thecompanyotrlclalssaldcould be danger- keting administrator for Aerotech Laborato-
ous near a fuel system. ries In Ramsey, N. J., a leading manufactu r-
Rumph and nearly a dozen other govern- er of bladders. He said auto bladders range
ment and industry otllclals said they knew from $500 tor a stock car to $13,000 for
of no study since 1945 examining the risks European racing cars.
and benefits or the fuel-lank placement. Bladders were used briefly In Corvettes,
General Motors spokesman Dave Hudgens
In 1972, the National Transp,>rtatlonSafe-
ty Board suggested that the tank locatlon be said, and have since been replaced by plas-
tic liners that lit Inside the fuel tank.
reconsidered after a Virginia accident In
which the fuel tank was knocked oft a bus. " If it was up to me, I would use them on
everything." said Jody Matthews, of Banjo's
The board questioned whether the tank's
location just behind the front door would Performance Center, a major stock-car
builder In Asheville, N. C. "They don't ex-
make evacuation more dutlcull In the case
of a fuel-fed fire. plode on Impact. It will bend and give way.
" A sharp objec1 will pierce a gas tank,
That's essentially what happened In car- but It's very hard to pierce these bladders."
rollton, safety-board officials have said. The The safely board suggested the use or
fire blocked the front door, forcing all 67 bladders in buses arter a 1968 accident In
people aboard the bus to use the sole emer- Baker, Csllf. But the board later said It was
gency exit In the rear. sallsfied by the 1977 rule requiring crash
The sa fely boa rd dropped Its call for a protection for the tank.
study of fuel-lank placement after the Since then, there's been little research on
crash-protecllonruleforfueltankstookef- the appilcablilty or bladders to buses, ac-
rect In 1977. cording to auto-Industry officials. The rea·
son: Fires are so rare.
Tank bladders would limit leaks "Fuel-fed fires In vehicles almost don't
Some automotive experts think there's happen," said Tom Carr, director of safety
another way 10 prevent fires on buses: use and technical affairs for the Motor Vehicle
tough rubber bladders Inside the tank 10 Manufacture rs MSOCiatlon.
contain fuel. Despite specific accidents - such as !he
Bladders have been used on stock cars carrollton crash - that defy safety sys-
since 196S and have eliminated post-crash tems. carr said manufacturers must design
fires, said Chip Williams, spokesman for the vehicles to meet more typical situations.
National Association tor Stock car Auto ..The general experience is there are not
Racing. these kinds of fires In vehicles." he said.
STAFFPHOTOBVPAU.SCHIJHMANN
An um of the National Academy of SciencH has called polyurethane seat
cushions " the most serious contributors" to bus fires,
more name remrdant, to delay the fire's schools, which Is ordering new buses wuh
reac hing lhe polyurethane. the name-retardant covers. Pitts estimates
The goal is to provide "more evacuation 1he eddillonal cost at Sl.000 to St ,500 a bus.
rime In a school bus if there is a fire that Pitts has been a national leader in lh e
campaign for fire safety on buses. Lasr yea r
Adams. the bus-compa ny executive. In an anlcle for an education trade publlca-
Atter seeing video1apesshowlng buses de-
stroyed lnless lhan 4 minutes by firess!Brt· tors to order name-retardant covers to pro-
ed wtth small bags of newspaper, the no- tect their districts from lawsuits.
tion 's pupil-transportation directors voted In Kentucky officials also have been looking
1985 to urge school-bus manufacturers 10 at requiring more highly name-retardant
develop, tesf and offer more highly fire-re-
tardant seats.
seats.
"We've discussed II si nce er least 1972.
Since then, 1wo flame-retardant seat Cl>- when I came here," said Sam Jackson, as-
verings have appeared on the market: One sistant dlreclor of pupil transportation. "To
uses woven fiberglass; the other uses a dale, we cannot find any material that will
chemical mixture lhat includes Kevlar. the provide greater fire-retardant protection
materlal used In bullet-proof vests. than what we have now and still meet" the
Bu t neither has been a ragi ng success. state's other requirements for durablllly
The fiberglass coverings have had dura- and crash protection.
bility problems: In particular, the glass Jackson said manufacturers haven't been
tends to cut the thread with which tbe cov-
er ls sewn, exposing the polyu rethane. That
dissuaded West Virginia from ordering the
able to provide Kentucky officials with in-
formation on what a flre-retardanl cover
"WIii do, what Its longevlly Is and how long
material on 400school buses th is yea r.said It remains fire re1ardant."
Stewart M. Roscoe, state director or school Byron Watkins, assistant superintendent
transportation.
Thomas Built Buses offers the Kevlar
mixture, but Adams said It Is requested on
for pupil transportation In Hopkins County
and chairman of a state committee select-
ing school-bus designs tor next year, said
IC$ than I percen1or the company's buses. !he committee probably will conduct lests
"A lot (of school districts) have been put
off' by the higher cost. he said.
Bui Adams said the Carrollton accident
this rail comparing lhe nammabllily or
Kevla r and typical vi nyl seats. The ca rroll-
ton accident spurred renewed interest, he
"creates more pressure to do better than said.
what was done in the past." Since the n, he
:;~;:,t~~r~~se d~~~~:rst:fi::~sc~~~~.f in- , - - - -- - -. - - - - - ,
Adams said th e Kevlar seats cost about
$JS more than conventional coverings, or TOMORROW
about $770 for a 22-seat bus. He claimed
the Kevlar mixture doubles the amount of Those who operate private
time available lo evacuate a bus In case of buses have been jolted Into
a fire - from 90 seconds to J mlnu1es. greater awareness ol salety and
" We feel like the extra protection is ol the hazards associated with
worth the cos1,"said Carroll Pitts, transpor- older school buses.
tation director for the Cobb County, G a . , - - - - - ~ -- -~
 METRO EDITION, 36 PAGES *******
U.S. plans payments to families
of Iranian air disaster's victims
By STEVEN V. ROBERTS
Cl New York Times News Service
WASHINGTON - President Reagan has
decided that the United States wlll pay com-
pensaUon to the !amllles of the 290 passen-
gers killed when an lranlan jetliner was
shot down by an American wanblp, the
White House said yesterday.
The president continues to view the July 3
Incident as a "Justifiable defensive acUon,"
said presldenllal spokesman Marlin Fitz-
water, but Reagan "remains personally sad· to the Iranian government. A majority of
dened at the tragic death of the Innocent Americans surveyed In polls have opposed
victims." paying compensation to the victims of the
• Yesterday's rain - the first recorded
In 31 days In Louisville - brought relief
for most residents, although some areas
in the county experienced flooding and
power outages.
• Gov, Wallace Wilkinson tells state and
local officials meeting In Frankfort that
the drought conditions are expected to
persist for a while.
Stories, Page B 1.
Nicaragua orders U.S. ambassador out
By STEPHEN KINZER
0 New York Times News Service
MANAGUA, Nicaragua - The U, S, am- terferlng In Nicaraguan affairs by encourag- that's detabilizing Nicaragua because of the
bassador and seven other American diplo-
mats were ordered yesterday to leave Nica-
ragua within 72 hours.
Nicaragua also closed the opposition
newspaper La Prensa ror 15 days, shut
down the Roman catholic radio station Ra-
dio CBtollca and arrested an opposition
leader.
The developments came one day after po-
lice clashed with thousands of demonstra·
Prison escape was avoidable,
state corrections report says
By RICHARD WILSON
Staff Writer
FRANKFORT, Ky, - Eight felons' escape
last month from the Kentucky State Peni-
tentiary cou ld have been prevented If prls-
on security policies and procedures bad
been followed, a slate CorrecUons CBbloet
report says.
Corrections secretary John Wigginton
said the June 16 escape from the penitentia-
ry near Eddyville Is likely to lead to dlscl·
pllnary action against some prison person-
nel, and the reassignment of others.
!!!!!!?.!1
BuolnH> - - - - - - B 5.9
Comics _ _ _ _ _ c 8, 7
Clusl!led ad• - - - D 1-12
DNlhL - - - - - - B 4
Faatura, _ _ _ _ Section C
Paopta,_ _ _ _ _ _ A 2
Racing re1utt, _ _ _ _ D 6
Sport, _ _ _ _ Section D
JV _ _ _ _ _ _ c2
COPYRIGHT Cl 1988, THE COURIER-JOURNAL, LOUISV1LLE, KY, A GANNETT NEWSPAPER
The president decided to offer compensa· Persian Gulf Incident. most of whom were
tlon In keeping with "the humanitarian tra- Iranians.
dlUons of our nation," Fitzwater said.
No decision bas been made on the
amount of each payment, or how It would
be delivered, the spokesman said. The like-
ly mechanism would be through a third par-
ty like the Red Crescen~ an arm or the ln-
temattooat Red Cross, be added.
To ward off potential criticism, the ad-
ministration stressed that any payments
wou ld be made directly to Individuals. not
THE RAIN ARRIVES
RAN'ALL AS Of 1 P.M. LAST NIGHT STAFF PHOTO SY KEITH WUIAMS/STAFF OWIT BY STEVE OUFl8N
tors at an anti-Sandinista rally, planned to lake.
Foreign Minister Miguel d'Escoto Brock- "When they latk about destabilizing Nice·
mann said the U. S. Embassy had been In· ragua, It's the government of Nicaragua
ing such protests.
In a Jetter to Secrelary of Slate George
Shultz. the foreign minister also cited recent
atlacks by U. S.-backed guerrillas and said
the ambassador, Richard Melton, represent-
ed "the Reagan government's total disre-
gard of the most elemental nonns of Inter-
national coexistence."
Shultz called the expulsions an "absolute
outrage" but didn't say what action he
While citing some Instances of lax proce-
dures at the 100-year-old prison, the report
released by Wigginton also said that circum-
stances over which prison officials had no
control also were to blame for the largest
prison break In Kentucky's hlstory.
The last two escapees were apprehended
Sunday In Juarez. Mexico.
The 13-page report called the penitentiary
a t980s maxlmum,,;ecurlty prison "primar-
ily operati ng with the same basic design It
see PRISON ESCAPE
Back page, col. 3, this section
...----------~-1J~.u~.1.,-.-----------..,
Sizzling facts ~ (~')- ~ All-Star
about sum er ~~~ -- preview
Features, Page C 1
• TUESDAY JULY 12. 1968 35 CENTS
KENTUCKY'S BUS TRAGEDY
"We wlll not countenance any Impression
that this Is a payment to the government or
an admission of liability," Fitzwater said.
"This ls a matter of humanitarian compen-
sallon directly for the people."
Administration o!!iclnls said II was stilt
unclear whether the fammes would each be
offered the same payment. or whether an
attempt would be made to calculate Individ-
ual payments. It that were done, a senior
See US. PLANS
Back page, col. 3, this secUon
THE
SEARCH
FOR
SAFETY LAST OF THREE PARTS
I-71 crash drew attention
to dangers of older buses
By DEBORAH YETTER
SlartWrlter • First lawsuits are filed in
Carrollton bus crash. Page 8 1.
After a fiery church-bus crash near
CBrmllton killed 27 people, Ron Loux,
director of the Holy Cross Mountain three-inch gash In the bus's fuel tank.
Mission In Eastern Kentucky, took his The pickup driver, Larry W. Mahoney,
mission's 1974 school bus in for repairs. who police say was drunk, has been
He then drove ii 90 miles from Sand charged with 27 counts of murder.
Gap, In Jackson County, to the nearest No evidence bas surfaced suggesting
Interstate weigh station - becoming that the maintenance of the 1977 Supe-
one or fewer than 30 of the state's 1,100 rior bus was a factor In the tragedy.
private-bus owners who, between mid- Nevertheless, the wreck has focused
May and July t, took the state up on Its attention on several issues relating to
offer or a free safety inspection. old buses and private buses, Including:
The results startled him - an Inspec- • Whether Kentucky's failure to reg-
tor found a leak In the gasoline tank ulate or Inspect private buses before
and ordered the bus towed away for now means that those on the state's
repairs. But Loux said he didn't mind. roads - most of them used school bus-
"l was grateful, because I honestly es - are poorly maintained and dan-
believe a fuel leak is probably the most gerous. Of the t,tOO prlvale buses In
dangerous thing you can have. We prob- Kentucky, about 700 are registered to
ably would have never realized It" churches and community groups and
The carrollton bus crash, the nation's about 400 are registered to Individuals,
second-worst, has made those who oper- private schools or colleges.
ate church and activity buses more About 800 or the 1,100 were made be-
aware of safety tssues and the hazards fore federal safety standards for buses
associated with older school buses. were upgraded In 1977.
Some have taken steps they believe will More than 20 other states conduct
make their buses safer. So few, howev- some Inspection of private buses.
er, had volunteered for Inspections that • Whether all churches and commu-
last week Gov. Wallace Wilkinson or- nity groups understand the need tor
dered mandatory annual Inspections for thorough maintenance and are
all privately owned buses. equipped to carry II out Although some
The bus In the carrollton crash, a for-
mer school bus owned by the First M-
sembly of God ch urch in Radell!!, was
carrying 67 people home from the
large churches have full-time bus direc-
1011, smaller churches or groups often
rely on volun1eers or bus committees.
• Whether drivers of these buses
Kings Island amusement park near Cin- should be required to undergo training
cinnati. and obtai n a special license. The only
A pickup truck traveling the wrong
way on Interstate 71 smashed Into the See 1-71
way they are conducting themselves, includ- right front comer of the bus, ripping a PAGE 4, col. 1, lhls section
ing, just yesterday, breaking up a rally with
tear gas and things or that kind," be said,
The expulsion of the ambassador was a
sharp diplomatic escalation of the conmct SOME MAJOR CHURCH-BUS ACCIDENTS
between Washington and Managua that be- Ten maJor church-bus accidents
undennflated tires were factors.
gan soon after the Sandinista government investigated by the National
De vers, Te•••, 19 83, Ten kllled,
Transportation Safety Board: 13 Injured when a 1970 school bus
see AMBASSADOR
Back page, col. 3, this section Stratton, Neb., 1171, Nine killed, collided head-On with a tractor·
eight injured when 1967 school bus trailer after a blowout caused the
collided with a train after driver bus driver to lose control.
failed to stop at crossing.
Ex-govemor likely
Meese replacement
Luling, Texas , 1980. Two kllled,
36 injured when 1971 motor coach
missed curve on wet road and
Wofford Heights, Calif., 1984.
Two kllled, 39 Injured when the
driver of a 1973 school bus missed
a curve on a steep hill and rolled
President
Reagan
reportedly has
overturned; poor traction on rear
tires a factor.
Florence, Ala ., 1983, Four killed,
18 hurt when a drunken driver
down an embankment.
Ackerly, Te•••, 1985, Four
killed, 37 hurt when a 1964 motor
chosen former traveling on the wrong side of the coach skidded and overturned on a
road hit a 1968 school bus. wet road : inadequate tread on rear
Pennsylvania tire a factor.
--.r-=.,_,•...,., Gov. Richard Carrollton, Ky., 1983. Two
killed, 19 injured when driver lost Eureka Springs, Ark., 19B5,
Thornburgh to
f replace Edwin controt of a 1970 motor coach on Five killed, 20 Injured when a 1965
wet pavement on 1-71; inadequate motor coach went out of control on
Meese as steep hlll; Inadequate brakes a
brakes and several bald tires were
attorney factor.
factors.
general.
Queens County, N. Y., 1183, Bramwell, W. Va., 1985. Four
Sto,y and Thirty injured when a 1971 school killed, 30 Injured when 1967 motor
profile, bus overturned on an expressway coach collided with a train after
_,._ ___,___ Page A 3. entrance ramp; speed of bus, driver failed lo stop at crossing.
~- ~ .J,}f
Dust-buster
i;"/ - (- .l,[~ -. '<Cc' s Loul1vllle area - Storms likely
through tonight. chance ol rain
tomorrow. High today. 82;
tomorrow, 85 Ovemlght low, 70.
1
a Kentucky - Showers and
tnunderstorms likely lhrougn to01gh1;
chances diminish tomorrow. Highs
:~ ;,;;- Sports, Page D 1 / today. low 80s 1orno7row ,a
warmer. Lows, high 60s to w 70s.
Oetalls, Page B 2 ,
 A4 Tl-ll COLalER.JOL NAl TUcSDAY Jv.v , 19lill
Elmer Bums, mechanic for Oneida Baptist Institute In Clay County, has Installed cages around gas tanks of nine buses.
I-71 tragedy
drew attention
to dangers
of older buses
Continued from Page One
requirements in Kentucky are that one be
over 18 and have a valid driver's license.
That puts Kentucky In the minority - a
1984 federal survey found that 29 other
states license private-bus drivers.
The National Transpartatlon safety
Board has given attention recently to some
of these questions - largely because of
some horrible accidents.
On Dec. 23, 1983, a church-bus driver and
eight passengers were killed In a crash
near Devers, Texas, after a tire blew out
and the former school bus collided head-<>n
with a tractor-trailer truck. The truck driv-
er was killed, and the Impact ripped open
the front and root or the bus, ejecting all 21
people on board.
In a 1984 report on the accident. the safe-
ty board found that the 1970 bus came
apan because, like many other older buses,
it was not as solldly constructed as newer
models.
The board also noted that older buses,
with low-backed seats that have little pad-
ding and are topped with metal bars, are "a
very hostile environment" for passengers.
Its report said that "poor mechanical
condition of private activity buses has been
a recurring factor In many ot the acci-
I to take care or the mechanica l part.''
a That Includes ongoing maintenance, peri-
School buses manufactured after the 1977
federal safety standards went Into effect
contain some significant Improvements - a
steel cage to help protect the fuel tank,
higher and more thickly padded seats, and
stronger construction to prevent the bus
body from tea ring apan.
Of about 700 church and community bus-
es in Kentucky, only about 150 were built
under those safety standards, according to
state vehicle-registration records. The rest
- about 78 percent - lack the additional
safely fealures, as did lhe Radcliff bus.
In all, the safety board investigated 10 of lhe slale's 12 Highway Departmenl ga. that recommendation or of any state re-
major church-bus accidents between 1976 ragesorelght lnterstate welgh stations. Bus- sponse to It.
and 1985, in which 42 people were killed es that fall the safety check of tires, brakes,
and 250 Injured.
Citing 1hese statistics In a letter sent last be repaired before they can be used.
year to chu rch organizations nationwide,
the sa fety board warned that "older buses be cited; penalties are a fine of $25 to $250 teers - some who may have no training or
are more likely to break down or have oth- andJ0daysl n jall.
er failures which might affect safety." The
board recommended regu lar maintenance, or groups contacted for this s1ory said they ing.
wtth special attention to brakes and tires, perform regular maintenance and sa fety In·
the most common factors In the accidents It spections. But most said they would have no ence Baptlst Temple's five buses undergo a
investigated.
The letter urged that, when p~lble,
I
churches buy new buses, which meet safety five former school buses - all built before schools.
sta ndards set In 1977.
But those who operate church and com- nual safety inspection " would be commend- certify its church-bus drivers as school-bus
munity buses In Kentucky say they simply able.''
can't arrord a new school bus - costing
r about $35,000 - when they ca n buy used Church in Hazard, said he will have his churches to submit the names of people au-
ones for about Sl ,000.
William Owens, director of the Youth Ha- because he wants them to be safe.
ven Bible ca mp in Clay County, said he
uses three donated buses to haul children to Sunday school every week aboard the bus- good driving record, church officials said.
and from the surrounding Eastern Ken-
tucky counties. Two of the buses are 1968
models, the other, 1969.
"We can't arrord a new bus," Owens said.
"We try to use every penny we can to keep
the cost of the camp down for the kids."
But many said they are conce rned about
what they've learned from the carrollton
crash and plan steps - or have already
taken them - to Improve sa fety.
Barkley Moore, president of Oneida Bap-
tist Institute, a Clay County boarding school
for about 500 middle and high school stu-
dents, said that less than a week after the
Carroll ton crash , school mechanic Elmer
Burns began installing cages around the
fuel tanks of the school's nine used school
buses,allbuiltbeforel977.
Burns said he studied the crash cages on
Clay County school buses built after 1977,
then designed his own from steel tubes
welded together. He added a strip of Iron lo
protect the outer edge of the tank and bolt·
ed the assembly Into place. Materials cost
about Sl00 per cage, Burns said.
Although police blame the carrollton
crash on drunken driving, Moore said It
brought home the need for good safety and
maintenance procedures. Moore said that
neither he nor Burns knew of the signifi-
cant safety differences between school bus-
es built before 1977 and those built since.
"There's no question this accident has
called attention to some things that do need
lo be looked al," he said.
Federal officials argue that school buses
are extremely safe, with no more than 15
or 20 deaths per year of student passengers
nationwide. However, those statistics were
built up largely on trips to and from
schools, at low speeds on secondary roads
familiar to the drivers.
The figures exclude accidents such as the
one near Csrrollton - which occurred dur-
ing the private, non-school use of a bus.
John Cook, senior vice president for the
Highway Loss Data Institute, a private re-
search group In Washington, D. C., said It
appears that no one compiles statistics on
accidents Involving privately owned buses.
The differences between pre- and post-
standard buses have led cauromia Assem-
blyman Richard Katz to Introduce state leg-
islation to phase out all pre-1977 school bus-
es used to transport public school students.
He said he believes the older buses are a
hazard.
Aboul half of California's 12,000 public
school buses were built before 1977, com-
pared with about 1,219, or one-seventh, of
Kenlucky's 7,916schoolbuses. Aboulhalfof
Kentucky's older buses will be replaced
with new ones this fall, state officials said.
Inspections
Members of the Community Pentecostal
Church in Independence, Ky., start every
trip on their 1973 school bus with a prayer.
" We try to believe and trust In God to
make sure we have a safe trtp," said Pastor
Thomas D. Bates. "But we do our part first
odic Inspections and a "bumper-to-bumper"
check of the bus before each trip, he said.
Volunteers from the 600-member church
help, but a local garage handles major re-
pairs or maintenance, Bates said. The
church and the garage keep records of all
work, he said.
Until last week, however, churches, com-
munity groups and others were not re- states without special requirements enact
quired to have their buses Inspected for legislation requiring a written exam and
safely. road test In the bus. A Kentucky Transpor-
Now, owners of private buses have until tation Csbinet spokesman said the office
Oct. I to get a rree safety Inspection at any could find no record of having received
steering, lights and other equipment must requirement. Anyone 18 or older with a val-
id driver's license may drive a church or
Those who fall to get the inspection ca n private bus. Churches often rely on volun-
only limited experience in bus driving.
Pastors or bus operators for 20 churches
objections to regular state inspections. training program based on the required
The Florence (Ky.) Bapllsl Temple has stale program for bus drivers In the public
1977. Bus minister Cecil Eggert said an an-
drivers, said Eggert, the bus minister.
Jeff Fugare, paslor of lhe Bible BaptlSI
chu rch's nine used school buses Inspected thorized to drive !heir buses. That often
merely requires proof that the Individual
Bible Baptist brings people to church and holds a valid driver's license and has a
A school bus tllided with a truck in Devers, Texas, killing 10.
THE SEARCH FOR SAFETY
STAFF Pl·ICHOBV KEITH'Nl.LIAMS
es, some built before 1977. But Fugate said
he is concerned about giving state officials
Increased power over church buses, be-
cause "they're not all Christians. and they
don't understand the importance of a bus
mlnlslry,"
Allhough Kenlucky iospeclS public school
buses, It has never Inspected or regulated
buses that serve private and parochial
schools - until now. Wilkinson's order will
apply lo those buses, loo.
"I think It's sorely needed," said John
Wilhoit, transportation director for the Jef-
ferson County public schools.
Miller Transponation Inc. provides con-
tract bus service for about 10 local private
schools, but none of those buses have been
lnspecled by lhe slale, said company Vice
President Emmett Miller. "That's bad,"
Miller said. "We've said it many, many
times before - things need to be tightened
up."
In 1984, a survey by the federal sa fety
board found tha1 22 states Inspect church or
activity buses and noted that the Inspection
procedures and criteria "varied tremen-
dously.'' The bus Involved In the Devers,
Texas, crash, for example, was in poor me-
chanical condition even though it had
passed a state Inspection six months earlier,
the safety board's report said.
Driver training
Arter the 1983 Texas crash, the safety
board questioned why the bus driver contin-
ued driving for 1,252 feet after the tire had
partially deflated. ti then blew out, and he
veered Into the oncoming semi-trailer.
The safety board wrote in Its report that
drivers of private buses should be required
10 pass leslS for a special, bl!S-<lriving II·
cense.
"Activity-bus drivers are just as responsi-
ble for the safety of their passengers as
commercial school-bus operators and
should be subject to the same state licens-
ing requirements."
The sa fety board found that 29 states had
special licensing requirements for church
or activity bus drivers. Twenty~ne of those
states required drivers to pass a written
exam or take a road test In the type of bus
they would be driving.
Kentucky requires neither.
The safety board recommended In the
I984 report lhal Kenrucky and the 20 olher
So four years later, Kentucky has no such
Some churches provide their own train-
For example, volunteers who drive Flor-
The church also plans to ask the state to
Insurance companies require most
Used, less-safe buses
often snapped up eagerly
By DEBORAH YETTER
StaftWriter
Parents In Jefferson County may be re-
lieved lbal !heir public school syslem Is gel-
ling rid of the last of IIS 1977 school buses
this year - meaning that all the buses It
owns will have been built according to fed-
eral safety standards.
But those older buses are by no means
gone from the Kentucky landscape: Most ot
them probably will end up In the state's
rural dlstriclS.
"It's really the best deal you can get,"
said Ed Patton, transportation director for
the Floyd Counly, Ky.. school syslem, which
last year bought 10 old buses from Jeffer-
son County for about $1 ,000 each - about
$34,000 under the cost ot a new bus.
Tbe market for used school buses ap-
pears to be an active one In Kentucky, with
large school districts passing them on to
smaller ones - and with churches and
community groups often being left with bus-
es the smaller districts have rejected.
This year, for example, Jefferson County
plans to phase out the last ot Its older buses
by selling all 60 of IIS 1977 Superior models,
said John Wilhoit. the school system's trans-
portation director. All were built before the
current safety standards took effect In April
1977, Wllhollsaid.
Contract Bus Service, which provides the
Jefferson County system with about 25 per-
cent of its buses, uses only a few older bus-
es as spares and says It may take them out
of service this year.
Olher Kenlucky school dlstriclS will gel
first crack at the county's buses.
Lasl year, of lhe 58 buses made In l975
and 1976 that were discarded by Jefferson
Counly, 51 were bough! by olber school sys-
tems or government entitles, leaving only
seven for auction, Wilhoit said.
Strict Illinois inspections
find defects, force repairs
By DEBORAH YETTER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, Ill, - Volunleer Harold
E. Haupliy said he drives a Peoria, !II.,
church bus "for the Lord."
But It's Inspected by the state - twice a
year under the Illinois bus safety Inspection
law.
Hauptly said he has no objecllons. "Tbey
give you a pretty thorough check. If you
have anything wrong, you've got to get II
fixed."
The Illinois bus-inspection program ls
one of the nation's more extensive systems.
It covers all active school buses, whether
run by school systems. churches or other
private groups, and It subjects them to ran-
dom safely checks In addition lo lbe twice-
a-year Inspections.
As Hauptly observed, II Is thorough.
Slale officials say lhal aboul one-lhlrd of
lhe public school buses fall. They did nol
have figures on the failure rate of private
buses, but said that the Inspections routine-
ly Identity some serious problems on the
older, former school buses that churches
and other private groups tend to rely on.
For example, Inspections In 1987 found
defective brakes on 144 buses -118 of
them were built In 1977 or earlier. Similar-
ly, 40 of 48 buses found with defective tires
were older ones.
The Inspections help churches find over-
looked problems, said Doug Rider, bus min·
ister at Bayview Baptist Church In East
Peoria.
"SomeUmes ll's a llllle headache," said
Rider, whose church uses 15 former school
buses to bring people to church on Sundays.
"But I'd rather have a safe bus that's been
checked rather than drive an unsafe one."
Poormalntenance-especlallyofbrakes
and tires - has been a recurring problem
with school buses operated by churches and
other private groups, according to a 1984
report by the National Transportation Safe-
ly Board.
Unlll just a few days ago, Kenlucky re-
quired no inspections of about l.l00prlvate
buses reglslered In the slale. Last Friday,
Gov. Wallace Wilkinson ordered the state to
begin a mandatory, annual Inspection pro-
gram.
A 1984 federal survey found that 22
states, Including Illinois, require regular ve-
hicle Inspections for private buses. Larry F.
Wort, chief of the Illinois Transportation
Department's Bureau of Safety Programs,
said It's the only one he knows or that re-
quires twice-a-year checks. It subjects those
buses to essentially the same thorough
check as the state's public school buses, he
said.
Illinois records show that 984 school bus-
es are regjstered to churches and other
groups, mosl or lhem older buses bulll be-
fore 1977. That figure doesn't Include the
large, IS-passenger vans that many
churches and private groups use, but the
state inspects those, too.
Wort said he didn't know how many
church buses fall Inspections.
Bui Harvey Garecht, who runs a state
testing center In Springfleld, estimated that
al least 50 percent of church buses inspect-
ed at his station fall the first time.
Church buses are "worn out school buses
- that's what It amounts to," Garecht said.
Illinois statistics do show that more safe-
ty defects were round on older buses be-
longing to churches.
For example, of the 1986 buses Inspected,
there :,Was only one defect for every nln1
Government buyers are allowed to in-
spect the buses and school maintenance
records and may submit first bids.
Churches, bus dealers and Individuals usu-
ally buy whal's lefl, WIihoit said.
Patton, of Floyd Counly, said he likes lo
buy used buses from Jefferson County be-
cause they are well-maintained. By con-
trast, used buses from rural districts travel
rougher roads and often are In poor condi-
tion, he said.
"On our dirt roads, they take a terrible
beating." he said.
Patton said he isn't concerned that the
buses don'I meel lhe 1977 federal sarery
standards. Patton - and others who oper-
ate used school buses - say the wreck or a
church bus that killed 27 people near Csr-
rollton on May 14 was a freak accident, In
part because It Involved another driver ac-
cused of being drunk.
"I'm not concerned at all about it.," he
said. "Thal lhlng In Carrolllon Is probably
something that will never happen again.''
Patton said he thinks ii would be a mis-
take to force Kentucky school districts to
get rid of older buses, as has been proposed
In California.
"ll would be a hardship," he said.
"There's not enough money in our school
system to replace that many buses."
"The demand for used buses is growing,"
said Dave Taylor, whose family runs Taylor
Bus Sales In Murray, a major dealer that
sells about 350 used buses a year.
He estimated that only about 5 percent
are sold In Kentucky, with many going to
buyers in other states, Including churches
and other bus dealers.
The company's biggest market, however,
Is slill farther away. Taylor said aboul 50
percentaresoldto forelgncouotries,most-
ly In Latin America, where they are used as
public lransll buses.
11187 INSPECTIONS OF
ILLINOIS CHURCH BUSES,
Model Number Numl>et
Ye1r lnapected of defoc:ta
1988 1 0
1987 14 0
1986 BS 9
1985 143 23
1984 61 12
1983 38 9
1982 34
11
1981 61 21
1980 59 30
1979 76 41
1978 73 49
1977 B4 32
1976 111 96
Pre-1976 1,159 748
TOTAL 2,001 1,081
STAFFCHART
buses lnspecred. Bui lhe 1976 buses lnspecl-
ed averaged about one defect per bus.
or the newer buses, most had minor
problems such as a tallllghl out or a reflec-
tor missing. Few were round with the poten-
tially hazardous defects such as worn tires
or faulty brakes - common problems In
olderbuses.
Inspector Rohen Black demonstrated the
Inspection when a 1986 model,65-passenger
bus pulled Into his testi ng station In Spring-
field on a recent afternoon.
As soon it arrived, Black scraped the old
inspection sticker off the windshield . Using
a standard checklist of nearly 100 Items,
Black conducted a detailed inspection with
special attention to tires, brakes and the
steering system.
When he finished about 20 minutes later,
Black failed lhe bus, citing lhree defecrs: a
ripped seat cover, a tiny hole In the wind·
shield and uneven brake adjustment.
Any one of the three defects would have
been enough to fail the bus, Wort said, In-
cluding the seemingly minor flaws of the
seat cover and windshield.
The ripped seat cover could pose a haz-
ard If It allowed the padding 10 come out.
because that padding ls designed to protect
passengers who might strike the seat In a
crash, Wort said.
The hole in the windshield could cause It
to crack or shatter, he said.
Illinois runs its inspection program,
which also Includes all trucks registered in
the state, for about $500,000 a year. Salaries
and expenses for a staff of 15 inspectors
and supervisors account for most of that
cost.
Won said the cost Is relatively small be-
cause vehicle inspections are done at about
400 prlvale garages certified by lhe slale.
The 15 state employee-.s monitor the Inspec-
tion stations and conduct occasional. ran-
dom Inspections or trucks and buses.
Inspections cost Sl8 for school buses and
$10.lSforchurchbuses.
Buses must show a current inspection
sticker on the windshield. If an inspection
turns up a safety defect, the owner has 30
days to correct it to get a valid slicker.
People who drive buses without a valid
Inspection sticker can be cited and tined
$50. • ,.