Representative Crouch Urges Back-to-School Safety

14 WFIE imparts that State Representative Suzanne Crouch is addressing safety in regards to school bus rules. A local resident who’s child was injured from a school bus related accident relied on Representative Suzanne Crouch for assistance to take action against those who ignore school bus safety laws. Representative Crouch sponsored the bill to change the law from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor and up to three years in prison for those who injure students coming off the school bus.

State Rep. Suzanne Crouch helps child injured in car accident

This session we’ll be pre-occupied with issues like property taxes, but Republican representatives like Suzanne Crouch aren’t forgetting other important local issues.

The voice of the Indianapolis lobbyists can get pretty loud, but Crouch made sure they didn’t shut out Krista Groves.

Krista Groves wants to make sure no other children have to suffer the same injuries as her daughter, Kasey, did less than three months ago. And she’s enlisted the help of State Representative Suzanne Crouch.

Eight-year-old Kasey Groves is a student at Castle Elementary School. She exited her school bus across from her home on State Road 261 on Nov. 26, and followed the proper safety procedures as she started to cross the road.

The school bus’ stop arm was extended, and the lights were flashing.

But seconds later, Kasey was struck by an oncoming car, driven by Marlene Helms of Boonville, who failed to stop for the bus.

Kasey survived, but her leg was broken so badly that she’s needed multiple surgeries, with at least one more to go.

Kasey has returned to school, but only for half-days. She’ll celebrate her ninth birthday in a wheelchair, and no one knows yet when she’ll be able to walk again.

Her medication helps numb the pain, but it also makes her unable to think clearly.

Within two days of the accident, Krista Groves had discovered something that made her angry: Indiana drivers who strike children are subject to no more punishment than those who strike mailboxes. So she went into action.

“It has been a big education,” she said. “I just assumed the laws were there, that if you were that negligent and ran a stop arm that the laws were there to punish you. And then finding out that the laws were not there was hard to believe. As soon as I found out that the most this lady was going to get was a $160 ticket, I started calling my state representatives. It was going to get fixed.”

It’s also good to see 8-yr-olds getting involved in the political process.  Perhaps she’ll hold office herself someday.