COLUMBUS, Ind. — Several counselors will be available this week to comfort the classmates of a fourth grade Parkside Elementary student killed in a weekend traffic accident.
Kayydence Mings, 10, of Columbus was one of two people killed in separate crashes Sunday in Bartholomew County.
The other victim was Musa Rahmani, 53, of Edinburgh, who died when the vehicle he was in struck a semi tractor-trailer near an overpass on Columbus’ northwest side.
In the first accident, Kayydence was a rear seat passenger in a westbound sport utility vehicle on East 25th Street driven by her mother, Katelyn Mings, investigators said.
At about 4:35 p.m., the family’s 2015 Nissan Pathfinder passed County Road 650 East and was approaching the Clifty Creek bridge before the SUV went out of control and crashed. After being called to the scene, Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting pronounced the young girl dead from massive traumatic injuries.
Three other people were in the vehicle. Besides the mother, there was also a 28-year-old front seat passenger named Webster Gilcrease, as well as an 11-month-old, said Bartholomew County Sheriff Department Capt. Dave Steinkoenig. They were all initially taken to Columbus Regional Hospital, the road division commander said. Both adults were later transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital, while the infant was treated for minor injuries and released, Steinkoenig said.
Adored by her classmates, Kayydence seemed to be able to get along with everyone, Parkside Elementary principal Chris Smith said.
“She looked forward to coming to school every day, worked hard and always gave us her best effort,” Smith said.
The young girl had a passion for art, and was often seen drawing whenever she had a free moment, the principal said.
“Kayydence was just a happy, sweet, hardworking young lady,” Smith said. “She is going to be missed by everyone.”
While the cause of the crash has not yet been determined, icy road conditions are not considered a contributing factor to the accident, Steinkoenig said.
It would be a few more hours until Sunday night before lower temperatures and wintery precipitation began to create potentially hazardous driving conditions, Steinkoenig said.
There were slick spots throughout the county at the time of the second fatality on U.S. 31 (National Road) near the Indianapolis Road overpass, investigators said.
A 2006 Buick Rainier, driven by Valon Rahmani, 26, of Edinburgh, was traveling northbound when the vehicle went out of control. After the sport utility vehicle crossed the median, it struck a southbound 2021 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer, Columbus police said.
Musa Rahmani, who was a front-seat passenger in the Buick, was ejected from the SUV, investigators said. He was pronounced dead due to blunt force trauma to the head and chest, Nolting said.
Valon Rahmani was first transported to Columbus Regional Hospital before being transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis hospital for treatment of what police describe as serious injuries. Rahmani was listed in serious but stable condition at the hospital on Monday afternoon, hospital officials said.
The semi driver, Samer S. Masad, 32 of Beech Grove, was not injured in the crash.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Columbus police, with reconstruction assistance from the Indiana State Police.
