GERMAN TWP., Clark County — There were lots of messages delivered through hugs and tears Wednesday evening at the prayer service and vigil in German Twp. to remember the boy who was killed in Tuesday morning’s school bus crash in Clark County.
One very special message being planned was started by students from the Northwestern Local School District who left the Lawrenceville Church of God carrying rocks they intend to decorate in a show of remembrance.
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Those students, parents, law enforcement officers and many others from all over Clark County and even northeast Ohio packed into the church on Fox Hollow Road to share stories, sing and find support in fellowship.
“I don’t think they could squeeze any more inside,” Dolly Oliver of Springfield told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott.
“There were no empty seats at all,” said Howard Wilson, also of Springfield.
The tragedy of the vehicle crash even drew a visit from Gov. Mike DeWine, who came in from Cleveland with a message of his own because he knows well the pain of losing a child. In 1993, he and Fran DeWine lost their 22-year-old daughter Becky in an auto accident.
“You want people who remember your child,” he said. “And so the only advice I would give to people who are consoling the family is don’t be afraid to talk about the little boy five years from now. Don’t be afraid to talk about him because people make the mistake of saying ‘I don’t want to bring it up. ' Well, it’s always on your mind,”
Many of those who attended the vigil and prayers for the boy and his family said they were glad they attended.
“The mind can do hard things for a long time if it doesn’t have to do it alone,” Pastor Alan Cain said earlier in the evening at the start of the service.
“So that’s why we’re here. That’s what the church is supposed to be, to help people do hard things over a long time,” Cain said. “Healing won’t be fast. We we’re going to walk with them step by step through this.”
The church also offered a live-stream of the service for those who could not attend.
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The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s preliminary investigation reveals that a minivan crossed the center line on state Route 41 (Troy Road) near Lawrenceville Road, hit a Northwestern Local School District bus and sent it off the roadway. It continued into a ditch and overturned.
One child was killed in the crash. As many as 26 other children suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One child suffered life-threatening injuries. The school bus driver suffered minor injuries. The driver of the minivan and his passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The minivan driver was in jail Wednesday night and being detained on a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, according to a criminal complaint filed in Clark County Municipal Court.
Northwestern Local Schools canceled Thursday classes and district officials announced on the district’s website, in part, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families that have been impacted by this tragedy.”
District officials will open their schools Thursday morning for students, staff and community who want to meet with a mental health specialist. Grief counselors will also be made available for anyone who needs additional support.