A 7th grader at Thompkins Middle School is facing several surgeries after being struck by an Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation bus Tuesday afternoon in a Vanderburgh County mobile home park, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her family. The student, identified as Kaydence, sustained a pelvis fracture along with holes in her bladder and intestines, and her mother and siblings have since traveled to Indianapolis to be with her while she recovers.
According to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, deputies and the McCutchanville Fire Department responded around 2:57 p.m. Tuesday to the 5900 block of North Saint Joseph Avenue, where the bus struck the juvenile pedestrian while turning around in the parking lot of the Grandin Pointe Mobile Home Park. Student passengers aboard the bus were not injured, the sheriff's office said. Per the GoFundMe account, cited by 14 News, Kaydence was rushed to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis following the crash.
A Rush to Specialized Care 170 Miles Away
The trip to Indianapolis reflects the severity of her injuries. Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, located roughly 170 miles northeast of Evansville, is the state's only American College of Surgeons-verified Level 1 pediatric trauma center, according to Indiana University School of Medicine. Those centers are equipped to provide round-the-clock specialized pediatric surgical and critical trauma care that regional hospitals may not offer.
On-scene reporting by 104.1 WIKY indicated the student was conscious and awake as emergency medical personnel prepared her for initial transport from the mobile home park, before she was moved on to Riley. The GoFundMe page indicates Kaydence will need several surgeries, and her family notes that a serious leg injury was also part of the on-scene assessment of her condition.
School District Response
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation said its primary concern is the well-being of the student involved and confirmed she is receiving medical care, while asking that Kaydence and her family's privacy be respected. The district maintains its own internal police department along with a dedicated transportation office overseeing bus routing and safety protocols across all EVSC schools, per the district's own materials.
Mandatory Testing, Not an Admission of Fault
The sheriff's office said it deployed a specialized crash reconstructionist to the scene given the severity of the injuries, and confirmed the bus driver remained cooperative and submitted to a mandatory chemical test. That testing isn't necessarily a sign of suspected wrongdoing: under Indiana Code § 9-30-7-3, officers are required to offer a portable breath test or chemical test to any driver involved in a crash resulting in serious bodily injury or death, regardless of fault or apparent impairment.
Kaydence attends Thompkins Middle School, located on West Mill Road in Evansville and serving roughly 620 students in grades 6 through 8 within the school district, according to Niche. The crash occurred as the bus was turning around within the mobile home park's parking lot rather than on a public roadway, per deputies.
A Broader Pattern Around Bus Turnarounds
The crash underscores a wider safety concern documented at the state level. Data published by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that between 2013 and 2022, pedestrian fatalities in school transportation-related crashes nationwide were 1.5 times higher than fatalities among students riding inside the buses themselves — a gap researchers attribute partly to the risks of loading zones and turnaround maneuvers.
Indiana has taken some steps toward addressing bus-related traffic safety more broadly. The state's Stop Arm Violation Enforcement initiative, a grant-funded program administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, funds increased local law enforcement patrols along bus routes. Statewide, annual traffic data compiled by the same agency showed 1,211 fewer serious bodily injuries from crashes in fiscal year 2023 compared with the prior year, alongside a 9.2 percent drop in total traffic fatalities.
For now, Kaydence's family is focused on her recovery and the costs of staying near Riley Hospital for Children while she undergoes treatment. The GoFundMe page notes that her mother and siblings have travel expenses to manage as they remain in Indianapolis during what is expected to be a lengthy hospital stay.
