[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 143--REMEMBERING AND HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE BUS 
   CRASH NEAR CARROLLTON, KENTUCKY, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO ON MAY 4, 1988

  Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself and Mr. DeWine) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 143

       Whereas a school bus full of children, teens and chaperones 
     was traveling down Interstate 71 to Radcliff, Kentucky, 
     following a church outing at a Cincinnati, Ohio amusement 
     park;
       Whereas a drunk driver, with blood alcohol concentration 
     levels at .24 percent, much higher than the legal limit, was 
     traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 71 
     in his pickup truck;
       Whereas the National Transportation Safety Board found the 
     drunk driver slammed into the bus head on, causing a 
     collision sequence which resulted in the bus bursting into 
     flames;
       Whereas, twenty-four children and three adults perished in 
     this tragedy;
       Whereas, thirty-four other people suffered injuries, some 
     critical, in the crash and resulting fire;
       Whereas, the pickup driver was found to be a repeat drunk-
     driving offender and substantially over the legal blood 
     alcohol concentration limit to operate a vehicle;
       Whereas the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
     has found that alcohol-related traffic deaths have increased 
     for the third consecutive year in a row;
       Whereas the strength and determination of the survivors and 
     of the relatives of the victims to this crash serve as an 
     inspiration for all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
         Resolved, That on this day, May 14, 2003, the United 
     States Senate remembers and honors the victims and their 
     families on this 15th anniversary of the deadliest drunk 
     driving crash in United States history.

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, fifteen years ago today, the most 
deadly drunk driving accident in our Nation's history occurred. It 
happened at about 10:55 p.m. EST, when a school bus full of teens and 
chaperones traveled down Interstate 71 to Radcliff, KY, on the way home 
from a church outing at a Cincinnati, OH amusement park. At this time, 
a repeat drunk driving offender with a blood alcohol concentration, 
BAC, of .24 headed the wrong way down Interstate 71 and slammed his 
pick-up truck into the bus. In just a few horrific moments, 27 people--
mostly children--were killed; another 34 were injured.
  Today, I was honored to stand with three brave people whose lives 
were changed forever by this reckless tragedy: Karolyn Nunnallee, Janey 
Fair, and Harold Dennis. Karolyn lost her 10-year old daughter, Patty, 
and Janey lost her 14-year old daughter, Shannon. Harold was riding on 
the bus on that fateful day. Their perseverance should be a lesson for 
us all, as we continue to fight the social epidemic of drunk driving.
  Today we must remember the victims and survivors of that terrible 
tragedy and sadly commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Kentucky bus 
crash. It is in their memory that I, along with my colleague Senator 
Mike DeWine, submit this resolution.

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