Bluffton University - 2007 Bus Crash

2007 Bus Crash

On March 2, 2007, a bus carrying the Bluffton baseball team fell off the Northside Drive overpass on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Georgia, after the driver apparently mistook a southbound left-side exit ramp for a high-occupancy vehicle lane. The bus crashed into and flipped over a concrete barrier on the overpass and fell 30 feet back onto the interstate.

Four members of the Bluffton baseball team were killed in the accident, along with the bus driver and his wife. A fifth player died a week later from injuries caused by the crash. On March 12, 2008, a memorial titled the "Circle of Remembrance" located near the baseball field was dedicated prior to a Service of Remembrance to mark the one year anniversary of the event. Of the 35 people on the bus, the following were killed as a result of the crash:

• Zachary Arend (freshman), 18, Oakwood, Ohio, pitcher, Bluffton University Beavers Baseball Team, died from injuries on March 9, 2007
• David Betts (sophomore), 20, Bryan, Ohio, second-baseman, Bluffton University Beavers Baseball Team
• Scott Harmon (freshman), 19, Lima, Ohio, third-baseman, Bluffton University Beavers Baseball Team
• Cody Holp (freshman), 19, Arcanum, Ohio, pitcher, Bluffton University Beavers Baseball Team
• Jean Niemeyer, 61, Columbus Grove, Ohio, wife of bus driver
• Jerome Niemeyer, 65, Columbus Grove, Ohio, bus driver, Executive Coach Luxury Travel, Inc., Ottawa, Ohio
• Tyler Williams (sophomore), 19, Lima, Ohio, outfielder, Bluffton University Beavers Baseball Team