Staff Reports
A 16-year-old Columbus East High School student was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver as she attempted to cross South Gladstone Avenue to get on a school bus at 6:55 a.m. Monday.
Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting identified the victim as Lily J. Streeval, who was a junior at East.
Streeval was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital where all life-saving efforts undertaken were unsuccessful, Nolting said. The cause of death ruling is blunt force trauma to the cervical spine and chest with the death ruled a homicide, Nolting said.
Preliminary findings indicate a southbound vehicle in the 1900 block of Gladstone struck Streeval as she was walking eastbound across the two-lane roadway to board the northbound bus, investigators said. The area is just outside the city limits of Columbus on Gladstone, south of Marr Road.
The speed limit is 40 mph in the area, investigators said. They do not have an estimate of how fast the vehicle was going at the time of the hit-and-run.
Bartholomew County Sheriff deputies released the identity of the suspect driver as Shiam Sunder Shankara Subramanian, 25, of 3224 Country Brook St., Columbus. He is believed to be a quality engineer at Faurecia in Columbus.
After reviewing different footage of the incident and gathering witness statements, investigators said it appears the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. bus was stopped with the stop arms extended and the suspect disregarded the stop arms.
When Subramanian disregarded the stop arms, he struck the victim as she was crossing Gladstone to get on the bus and he then fled the scene.
The suspect was followed by a witness and later, his vehicle became stuck in a yard near County Road 250E, according to deputies.
He was located by Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies and Columbus Police Department officers.
Subramanian was transported to Columbus Regional Health for a blood draw. Police who took Subramanian into custody said it did not appear that he was intoxicated or under the influence when he was arrested. The blood draw is a toxicology test and results are not immediately available.
He was then transported to the Bartholomew County Jail on preliminary charges of leaving the scene of an accident causing death, a Level 4 felony, and reckless driving-passing stopped school bus with arms extended causing death, a Level 5 felony. Jail officials said he was being held without bond on a 48-hour hold.
Bartholomew County sheriff deputies, Columbus police and Indiana State police spent hours at the scene Monday reconstructing the accident.
“We are working closely with Bartholomew County School Corp. officials in regards to this investigation,” said Chief Deputy Maj. Chris Lane. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. A tragic event like this affects many people and we are thinking of everyone involved.”
Sheriff Matt Myers said there were at least 20 students on the bus when Streeval was struck and they were visibly upset in the aftermath of the tragedy. BCSC officials and school resource officers went to the scene to talk with the students and help them cope with what they had witnessed.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. released a statement Monday afternoon, saying the school corporation was grieving Streeval’s loss and assisting in the investigation into her death.
BCSC officials said there were secondary-school age students on the bus when Streeval was struck and “they are being provided with support,” officials said.
Additionally, ongoing support is being provided to all students and staff members at Columbus East, as well as any other students and staff within the corporation who have been affected by this tragedy, said Josh Burnett, BCSC spokesman. At East, an announcement was made to students and staff members during the day and a moment of silence was held. Counselors were in each of Streeval’s classes to meet with her classmates and provide assistance and support.
Superintendent Jim Roberts said Streeval was “full of life and enjoyed attending Columbus East High School” where auto tech had emerged as her favorite class and she had been thinking of a career in that area.
“As a school corporation, we experienced a devastating loss this morning. Our hearts go out to Lily’s family, friends, classmates and teachers who loved and supported her,” Roberts said. “We will miss her greatly.”
