COLUMBUS, Ohio – The driver of a pickup truck that authorities say ran a red light and struck a school bus at the intersection of Broad and High streets downtown last month is scheduled for his first court appearance after being charged.
Prosecutors say Terrance Trent, 62, ran a red light and struck a bus carrying three Groveport Madison schoolchildren on Dec. 12. The impact of Trent’s pickup truck forced the bus into a nearby crosswalk, hitting two pedestrians.
Stephanie Fibelkorn, 21, an Ohio State University student who was interning at the Columbus city engineer’s office, died at the scene. William Lewis, 58, the city’s chief mobility engineer and Fibelkorn’s mentor, died on Dec. 29.
Trent has been indicted on charges of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. He could be sentenced to 13 years in prison if convicted of all charges, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told the Columbus Dispatch.
Trent had arranged with his public defender to turn himself in once indicted, and he surrendered Thursday afternoon to authorities at the Downtown jail, where he was being held until his arraignment, the newspaper reported.
The indictment says that Trent was speeding and driving his pickup truck erratically when he ran a red light and hit the school bus,.
Court records list no attorney for Trent.