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Winchester native Jason Epperson of Eppic Films shoots inside a bus while working on ¿Impact, After the Crash,¿ a re-enactment of the Carrollton bus crash that happened May 14, 1988 on Interstate 71. The bus scene was photographed on Veterans Memorial Parkway between Irvine and Iron Works roads Saturday evening. (James Mann/jmann@winchestersun.com / November 12, 2012) |
Growing up, 17-year-old Autumn Howell was never allowed to ride a bus — not to school, not on field trips and not to ball games. Her mother told her she had been in a bus crash herself as a child, but beyond that, Autumn said details were limited.
Saturday, Autumn and her mother, Amy Constant Howell, were standing on the side of the Veterans Memorial Parkway in Winchester, watching as film crew members assembled camera equipment and discussed logistics.
A few minutes later, a bus drove down the parkway, with Autumn inside. The bus, the same model Amy Howell was riding on when she experienced the crash in 1988, was full of teenagers, many like Autumn, with connections to that crash almost 25 years ago.
“This generation, they don’t really know anything about it because it happened so long ago,”¿Amy Howell said.
On May 14, 1988, a church youth group was traveling down Interstate 71 near Carrollton, headed back from a trip to King’s Island, when the bus collided head-on with a truck driven by Larry Mahoney. At the time of the crash, Mahoney had been drinking for several hours. The crash killed 27 people, making it one of the worst bus accidents in United States history.
This weekend, local director Jason Epperson and a team of volunteers meticulously recreated the scene for a documentary he hopes to premier this spring in time for the 25th anniversary of the crash. “The Impact” will feature dozens of interviews with survivors, first responders who worked at the crash and the family members of victims. An agreement with the state board of education will allow the film to be shown to middle and high school students throughout Kentucky to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.
The film is the result of a friendship between Epperson and crash survivor Harold Dennis. The two have known one another for about six years, Dennis said, and having him direct the documentary was “a natural progression.”
“It’s special. I’ve been working on this going on two years now, and to see it come to fruition is great. It has not been an easy process in a multitude of ways,” Dennis said.
Filming began Saturday morning at Calvary Christian Church, with kids boarding the bus and waving good-bye to parents. That afternoon, the crew began recreating the crash scene at Veterans Memorial Parkway. Epperson chose Winchester for filming because of his familiarity with the area, and because he thought filming would be easier on a road like the Parkway, which resembles an interstate but has a much lower traffic volume.
When the bus pulled out and headed down the road, it was a “surreal” experience for the man behind the wheel, Robbie Pearman.
Pearman was 11 when the bus left Hardin County in 1988, with his father, John Pearman, behind the wheel. The elder Pearman was an associate pastor at First Assembly of God in Radcliffe, as well as the Hardin County Clerk.
He also became one of the 27 fatalities that day.
“To some degree, it defines who you are. I mean, small town, probably similar to Winchester, and you never expect something like this to happen,” Pearman said.
His participation in the film began when he was contacted by Dennis. He decided to portray his father in the re-enactment because he felt it would be a good way to honor his memory.
Today, Robbie Pearman is 36 years old, the same age his father was the day of the crash. He was not on the bus that day, though he had made several other trips with the youth group.
“Being on the bus, even though it is still a re-enactment, you still get some of the emotion of the day,” Pearman said.
Even after more than two decades, Pearman said there are a lot of details about the crash and the events following it he doesn’t know. There are a lot of details he doesn’t want to know.
His older sister, Christy, 13 at the time, was part of the crash, receiving extensive burns. Although they have talked about the crash, Pearman said he doesn’t ask a lot of questions.
The crash took place close to 11 p.m. Saturday evening, but Pearman said he didn’t find out his father had died until late the next afternoon. His mother had gone straight to the hospital after the crash, to be with Christy, and find out more information.
Saturday, Autumn and her mother, Amy Constant Howell, were standing on the side of the Veterans Memorial Parkway in Winchester, watching as film crew members assembled camera equipment and discussed logistics.
A few minutes later, a bus drove down the parkway, with Autumn inside. The bus, the same model Amy Howell was riding on when she experienced the crash in 1988, was full of teenagers, many like Autumn, with connections to that crash almost 25 years ago.
“This generation, they don’t really know anything about it because it happened so long ago,”¿Amy Howell said.
On May 14, 1988, a church youth group was traveling down Interstate 71 near Carrollton, headed back from a trip to King’s Island, when the bus collided head-on with a truck driven by Larry Mahoney. At the time of the crash, Mahoney had been drinking for several hours. The crash killed 27 people, making it one of the worst bus accidents in United States history.
This weekend, local director Jason Epperson and a team of volunteers meticulously recreated the scene for a documentary he hopes to premier this spring in time for the 25th anniversary of the crash. “The Impact” will feature dozens of interviews with survivors, first responders who worked at the crash and the family members of victims. An agreement with the state board of education will allow the film to be shown to middle and high school students throughout Kentucky to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.
The film is the result of a friendship between Epperson and crash survivor Harold Dennis. The two have known one another for about six years, Dennis said, and having him direct the documentary was “a natural progression.”
“It’s special. I’ve been working on this going on two years now, and to see it come to fruition is great. It has not been an easy process in a multitude of ways,” Dennis said.
Filming began Saturday morning at Calvary Christian Church, with kids boarding the bus and waving good-bye to parents. That afternoon, the crew began recreating the crash scene at Veterans Memorial Parkway. Epperson chose Winchester for filming because of his familiarity with the area, and because he thought filming would be easier on a road like the Parkway, which resembles an interstate but has a much lower traffic volume.
When the bus pulled out and headed down the road, it was a “surreal” experience for the man behind the wheel, Robbie Pearman.
Pearman was 11 when the bus left Hardin County in 1988, with his father, John Pearman, behind the wheel. The elder Pearman was an associate pastor at First Assembly of God in Radcliffe, as well as the Hardin County Clerk.
He also became one of the 27 fatalities that day.
“To some degree, it defines who you are. I mean, small town, probably similar to Winchester, and you never expect something like this to happen,” Pearman said.
His participation in the film began when he was contacted by Dennis. He decided to portray his father in the re-enactment because he felt it would be a good way to honor his memory.
Today, Robbie Pearman is 36 years old, the same age his father was the day of the crash. He was not on the bus that day, though he had made several other trips with the youth group.
“Being on the bus, even though it is still a re-enactment, you still get some of the emotion of the day,” Pearman said.
Even after more than two decades, Pearman said there are a lot of details about the crash and the events following it he doesn’t know. There are a lot of details he doesn’t want to know.
His older sister, Christy, 13 at the time, was part of the crash, receiving extensive burns. Although they have talked about the crash, Pearman said he doesn’t ask a lot of questions.
The crash took place close to 11 p.m. Saturday evening, but Pearman said he didn’t find out his father had died until late the next afternoon. His mother had gone straight to the hospital after the crash, to be with Christy, and find out more information.
