Carrollton bus crash survivor dedicates world marathon majors to lost friends
When the starting gun goes off Sunday morning in Tokyo, Japan, a Kentucky man will take the first steps toward the end of a years-long journey to honor the lives of 27 children and adults who lost their lives in the 1988 Carrollton bus crash, the nation's deadliest drinking and driving crash.
As he has in Boston, Chicago, New York City, London, and Berlin, 49-year-old Jason Booher will wear a bright yellow singlet as he runs the 26.2-mile Tokyo Marathon. The front of his running shirt reads "Survivor of our nation's worst DUI crash" and the names of those who didn't survive are listed in bold black letters on his back.
"It's why I get into these races, to spread the message of the consequences of drinking and driving," Booher told the Courier Journal. "The message is simple, if you are going to drink, then please don't drive."
On May 14, 1988, Booher was 13 years old and shared a seat with his best friend Chad Witt on a school bus returning to Radcliff, Kentucky from a day at Kings Island in Cincinnati. The bus, which was filled with children and adults, was hit head-on by a drunk driver going in the wrong direction on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky.
Although Booher survived, his best friend and 26 others died in the fiery crash.
"We all know that being a teenager is a fragile age and 36 years ago, I couldn't imagine anything positive would come out of burying my best friend and the multiple funerals for the 26 others in Radcliff that happened after the crash," Booher said. "But I made a pact that for the rest of my life, I would keep what happened that night at the forefront of my mind and I would continue to spread the word about the consequences of drinking and driving so that something like this doesn't happen again."
Booher, who is the superintendent of Mercer County Schools, frequently speaks on the topic of drunk driving at schools throughout Kentucky. He's proud of improved bus safety features that came about after the crash including less-flammable diesel fuel, cages around gas tanks, flame retardant seats, and more exits. He is also pleased there are now stiffer drinking and driving laws.
Five years ago, Booher decided to take his message to the streets when he signed up for the Abbott World Majors, a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world - Tokyo Marathon, B.A.A. Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon. In each of the marathon races, he has worn the same yellow shirt, a moving memorial to those who lost their lives in the Carrollton bus crash.
In Tokyo, as he has done in each of the previous six marathons, Booher will dedicate each mile of his 26.2-mile race to one of the victims of the crash, with the final 0.2 miles dedicated to his best friend, who was sitting in the seat next to him during the accident.
"Once I return from Tokyo I plan to have the shirt framed with my six Abbott World Major medals and the six-star medal finishers receive after completing all six marathons," he told the Courier Journal. "After Tokyo and once I retire, I may hike the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail to raise awareness and inspire others."
Booher also plans to write a book about overcoming the tragic bus crash and moving forward to accomplish his dream of winning the KHSAA Sweet 16 state championship as the head boys basketball coach of Shelby Valley High School in Pike County, Kentucky.
"Shelby Valley High School is a small, mountain school in eastern Kentucky," Booher said. "Many call that feat the Kentucky version of the movie 'Hoosiers.'"
But before he hikes the Appalachian Trail or writes his book, this ambitious Kentucky man has 26 miles to cover in Tokyo. We wish Booher the best of luck.
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky bus crash survivor dedicates world marathon majors to friends
