Historical eventMay 141988

Carrollton bus collision

Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire.

In context

When
Saturday, May 14 198838 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1988.

What happened

Carrollton bus collision: A drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. Twenty-seven die in the crash and ensuing fire.

May 14 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1988Carrollton bus collision
  2. 2004Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4815
  3. 2004Frederik X
  4. 2004Constitutional Court of Korea
  5. 20082008 UEFA Cup final
  6. 20082008 UEFA Cup final riots
  7. 2010Space Shuttle Atlantis
  8. 2010Stephen Timms
  9. 2012Agni Air Flight CHT
  10. 2021Zhurong (rover)
  11. 20222022 Buffalo shooting

Also in 1988

  • September 9Vietnam Airlines Flight 831Vietnam Airlines Flight 831 crashes in Khu Khot, Thailand, while on approach to Don Muang International Airport, killing 76.
  • March 14Johnson South Reef skirmishChina defeated Vietnam in a naval altercation while attempting to establish oceanographic observation posts on the Spratly Islands.
  • September 12Hurricane GilbertHurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica; it turns towards Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula two days later, causing an estimated $5 billion in damage.
  • September 13Hurricane GilbertHurricane Gilbert reached a minimum pressure of 888 mb (26.22 inHg) with sustained flight-level winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), making it th…
  • September 188888 UprisingThe 8888 Uprising in Myanmar comes to an end.
  • September 18Henri NamphyGeneral Henri Namphy, president of Haiti, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Prosper Avril.
  • September 18Magna Charta UniversitatumThe Magna Charta Universitatum, asserting key principles essential to the free operation of universities, is signed in Bologna by the rec…
  • August 10Civil Liberties Act of 1988The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 became law, authorizing reparations to surviving Japanese Americans interned during World War II.

Everything we record for 1988 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Carrollton bus collision”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/carrollton-bus-collision-1988-may-14, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Carrollton bus collision happen?

May 14 1988 — 38 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.