March 14, 2011 – Indianapolis, IN – Investigators are looking into the circumstances that not only led to the death of a Harshman Middle School student in a fatal car crash, but also to whether that student should have been in the vehicle in the first place.
The report from Fox59 states that the student, Justice Holifield, 13, was riding in her band teacher’s car with 2 other students on March 4. The car collided with a semi truck while they were traveling on the southwest side of the city. Teacher Kyle Bieda was released from the hospital on March 8 and the other 2 students were still recovering from their injuries.
Justice suffered serious injuries that resulted in paramedics pronouncing her dead at the scene. Her loss has caused grief and turmoil at Harshman Middle School where students and teachers are coping with Justice’s death and the fate of their teacher, Mr. Bieda.
The Indianapolis public school district has a policy prohibiting teachers from transporting students in their personal vehicles. A spokesperson for the district said officials are investigating the case to determine why Bieda was transporting 3 students in a violation against school board policy.
Currently, Bieda does not face any disciplinary action but the final outcome will not be known until the investigation is complete. The Indianapolis School Board is looking into changes or additions to the transportation policy that may help prevent this outcome from happening in the future.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 693 fatalities occurred in Indiana in 2009 because of car accidents.