Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. bus drivers gathered at Columbus East High School to remember 16-year-old Lilly J. Streeval with a memorial service and a moment of silence, remembering and honoring the teen who was killed in a hit-and-run as she was trying to board her school bus early Monday morning south of Columbus.
The tribute was held at the same time Streeval’s funeral was being held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in downtown Columbus.
While about 30 school buses lined up with red lights flashing and stop arms extended, nearly 50 Bartholomew Consolidated bus drivers gathered to give their own prayers. Although most had never met the teen, there were tears and several drivers embraced one another in grief.
The teen was killed early Monday morning on a rural stretch of South Gladstone Avenue when a driver is accused of disregarding a bus stop arm and lights and hitting Streeval as she walked across the road to board the bus. The driver, later identified as Shiam Sunder Shankara Subramanian, 25, of 3224 Country Brook St., fled the scene and was followed by Columbus resident Brian Rea, who was stopped behind the bus, and turned around to follow when he realized what happened.
Subramanian eventually got stuck in a ditch off County Road 250E in front of a police officer’s home, where he was taken into custody and is now being held in the Bartholomew County Jail on two preliminary felonies in regards to the hit-and run.
Thursday’s gathering of bus drivers around the East flag pole was organized to demonstrate their support to Lily Streeval’s family. All were asked to wear orange the next day to further express their support. In addition, a black ribbon will be placed on the exterior of the buses to mourn the teen’s death and remain in place until Sept. 10.
Many of the drivers said they hope the gathering would increase public awareness throughout the community about stopping for school bus stop arms and lights.
“These kids become our children,” Nancy Soloman said. “Sometimes, we have them from the time they get on the first time for kindergarten all the way through high school.”
All of the school bus drivers in the Columbus area do everything they can to protect their kids, driver Curtis Burton said.
“But in this case, it was just out of our hands and there was nothing we could do about it,” Burton said.
Kim Fowler, who drives in the Taylorsville area, said every motorist who feels rushed to get from one point to another needs to take a moment and realize it could be one of their loved ones who is hit and killed.
“It might be their grandkid, it might be their brother, it might be their sister,” Fowler said. “They just need to stop.”
BCSC school bus monitor Lisa Lienhoop, as well as some other drivers, said too many motorists are not focusing on their driving when they are behind the wheel.
“I don’t even think they pay attention to (the stop arm and flashing lights) anymore,” Lienhoop said. “I mean, we had somebody who blew the stop arm the other day right after this just happened. And we were like: ‘Are you kidding me?’”
While a number of drivers gave words of condolences, it was bus driver Kim Fowler who recited what is known as “The School Bus Driver’s Prayer.” Not only does the prayer seek divine help, but it also outlines the many responsibilities a bus driver has to face every day.
BCSC Mechanic and bus driver A.J. McKeand was part of a team from the school district’s transportation department who met Thursday morning with representatives of Prosecutor Bill Nash’s office.
“They are still ironing out details,” McKeand said in regard to the prosecutors and filing of formal charges. “They wanted to know what the processes are when we come up to a stop, as far as turning on our amber warning lights, activating the stop arm, and allowing the students to cross.”
