ROCHESTER, Ind.
(AP) - The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that a northern
Indiana school district is partially to blame for a 2018 crash that killed
three siblings crossing a rural highway to reach their stopped school bus.
The wreck was
caused by a pickup truck driver’s failure to stop for the school bus,
despite the vehicle’s activated and clearly visible warning lights and stop
arm, and a road warning sign for the upcoming school bus stop, the NTSB said
in part of its final report into the Oct. 30, 2018, crash near Rochester.
However,
contributing to the cause of the crash was the Tippecanoe Valley School
Corp.’s inadequate safety assessment of school bus routes, resulting in a
prevalence of bus stops that required students to cross high-speed roadways,
the NTSB said.
The agency also
found there was no clear policy established by the district for school bus
drivers to follow in determining when it was safe to signal students to
cross a roadway.
The crash killed
6-year-old twin brothers Xzavier and Mason Ingle, and their 9-year-old
sister, Alivia Stahl. A fourth child, 11-year-old Maverik Lowe, suffered
critical injuries.
The pickup’s
driver, Alyssa Shepherd of Rochester, was convicted in October of reckless
homicide, criminal recklessness and passing a school bus, causing injury.
She was sentenced to four years in prison, though she is appealing her
convictions.
Authorities have
said the students were waiting for the bus on the opposite side of the road.
After being signaled by the driver to cross, the four students entered the
roadway and were struck by Shepherd’s truck.
At the time of her
arrest, Shepherd, 25, told authorities she didn’t realize that she was
approaching a stopped school bus, despite the activated stop arm and
flashing lights. Court documents show Shepherd told police she saw the
lights but didn’t recognize the vehicle as a school bus until the children
were right in front of her.
“When our
school-aged children walk out the door to meet the school bus in the
morning, parents have the right to know that everything possible is being
done for their safety,” NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said. “This crash tells
us that we can and should do more.”
The school
corporation issued a statement saying it “has implemented a transportation
safety review committee” that meets regularly.
As a result of its
investigation, the NTSB has issued safety recommendations to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp.,
the Indiana Department of Education and other entities.
The partial report
is available at online. The full final report is expected to be published
online in the coming weeks.
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