A collision between a truck and a bus in downtown Columbus, Ohio on the morning of Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 has left four people injured and claimed the life of one young person, now identified as 21-year-old Stephanie Fibelkorn. Fibelkorn was fulfilling her last day of internship with the City of Columbus as a student with nearby Ohio State University when the crash took place.
Witnesses reported seeing the truck driving erratically, weaving recklessly in and out of traffic lanes as it traveled with a blown-out tire at high speeds. The truck was a Chevrolet pick-up being driven by 61-year-old Terrance Trent, who allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Broad Street and High Street before slamming into the bus. Both vehicles skidded on the road and slammed into a group of pedestrians on the street corner. Fibelkorn was one of those pedestrians.
Fibelkorn died on impact, and the remaining pedestrians were transported to an area hospital to be treated for their injuries. Trent’s passenger, a 51-year-old woman by the name of Mamie Adams, was taken to a nearby hospital and was reported to be in critical condition following the accident. Trent himself was reported to be in stable condition at a different hospital. Four students were aboard the bus at the time of the accident, but none of them have reported any injuries.
The investigation as to the cause of the crash continues, and it is not yet known whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role in this crash. Police are attempting to confirm eyewitness accounts of Trent’s reckless driving behavior just prior to the crash, but are unable to report any findings at this time. One witness called 911 after seeing a similar pickup truck smashing into other cars, sideswiping them as it sped along Broad Street. Investigators cannot currently confirm or deny whether this truck was indeed the truck being driven by Terrance Trent—the truck that caused the domino-effect crash that took the life of Stephanie Fibelkorn.