Victims of nation's deadliest drunken-driving crash remembered on 25th anniversary in Kentucky

Flowers and pinwheels with the names of the victims and survivors of the Carrolton bus crash line the seats at North Hardin High School May 14, 2013 in Radcliff, Ky. A quarter century after the nation’s deadliest alcohol-related highway crash, the Kentucky town that still grieves for the 27 “beautiful souls” who perished on a church bus in the fiery tragedy gathered Tuesday evening to remember the victims and honor the resilience of the survivors. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) (The Associated Press)

Stephanie Wardrip of Danville, Ky. fights back tears during the memorial service remembering the 25th anniversary of the Carrolton bus crash at North Hardin High School Tuesday, May 14, 2013 in Radcliff, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) (The Associated Press)

RADCLIFF, Ky. – Survivors of an alcohol-related bus crash that killed 27 people, mostly children, have gathered 25 years later in a small Kentucky town to remember those who died and honor the perseverance of those who survived.

The church-owned bus was traveling from Radcliff, Ky., to an Ohio amusement park on May 14, 1988, when it was struck on Interstate 71 by a pickup truck going the wrong way, causing the bus to burst into flames. The driver had a blood alcohol content of .24 percent, three times the current legal limit for drunken driving.

The memorial service was held on the same day the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that states lower the legal limit for drunken driving from .08 percent to .05 percent, matching a level that has reduced highway deaths in other countries.