An 11-year-old boy might never walk again after surviving a deadly collision that killed his 3 neighbors as they crossed the street to board a school bus, friends say.
Middle school student Maverik Lowe was struck in Fulton County, Indiana, by 24-year-old Alyssa Shepherd, who was charged with 3 counts of reckless homicide and a traffic violation, police said. On Tuesday, Shepherd alleged struck and killed 6-year-old identical twin brothers, Xzavier and Mason Ingle and their 9-year-old sister Alivia Stahl. Maverik was also crossing the street with the siblings and was airlifted to a Fort Wayne hospital and treated for his injuries.
Tuesday’s accident in Indiana was just one of four bus stop accidents injuring children this week alone. There were reports of similar incidents in Mississippi and Florida. On Thursday morning CNN reported five people in Tampa were injured in a car collision near a bus stop, including three juveniles, one of whom is in critical condition.
A GoFundMe was started on Tuesday aimed to help Maverik with his medical bills. It has raised over $35,000 over the past two days, nearly reaching its $45,000 goal. The fundraiser provided an update on Maverik’s condition, saying he will require multiple surgeries but is in stable condition.
“He will require multiple surgeries and may never walk again,” the post said. “He suffered broken ribs, busted knee cap, fractures in his arm and wrist. His leg is in pins and rods holding it together. He had plastic surgery already to put his face back together. He has slipped disks in his spine by his neck . He is a very, very strong kid.”
The Maverik family released a statement thanking the public for support and asking for privacy as their son recovers. The family did not reveal specifics about their son’s condition.
“We would like to thank those who have prayed for our family and the families of those involved in yesterday’s tragedy,” the family said in a statement. “Maverik is currently in stable condition. Our family is focused on his recovery at this time and requests privacy as we heal together.”
A GoFundMe was also up for the parents of the three siblings killed in the accident and already raised more than $98,000 of its $100,000 goal in 2 days. The fundraiser listed the parents as Shane and Brittany.
“We knew that they would need help, but we didn’t want them to have to worry about anything other than the kids.” the fundraiser said.
According to police, the school bus was stopped in the northbound lane of State Road 25 in a rural Indiana county with the stop signal out and flashing lights. Shepherd was traveling south when she struck the four children, police said.
Shepherd remained on the scene of the crash and was arrested later in the day at her workplace, police said. Police said Shepherd submitted blood test to test for drugs and alcohol and that she had three passengers in her car, including her two children and her younger brother, at the time of the accident. Police added that the accident occurred at 7:15 a.m. and it was still dark out.
Shepherd was released on $15,000 bond on Tuesday shortly after her arrest and is expected to return to court on November 13, Fulton County Jail Commander Catherine Collins said.
