Shiam Sunder Shankara Subramanian
COLUMBUS, Ind. — The defense and prosecutors say they are prepared to go to trial in the case of a Columbus man accused of striking and killing a 16-year-old girl with his car as she tried to get on her school bus.
The trial of Shiam Sunder Shankara Subramanian, 25, of 3224 Country Brook St., Columbus is expected to take one week after jury selection begins on Sept. 12 in Bartholomew Circuit Court, Judge Kelly Benjamin said.
The defendant was arrested following the Aug. 30 hit-and-run death of 16-year-old Columbus East High School student Lily J. Streeval. Investigators say he attempted to drive around a stopped Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. bus on South Gladstone Avenue while the warning lights were flashing and the arm signal was extended. His Honda struck the victim as she was crossing the rural road to board the bus, court documents state.
Lily Streeval
A witness followed Subramanian as he left the scene, and the defendant was eventually caught after his vehicle became stuck in the yard of a law enforcement officer. Streeval died at Columbus Regional Hospital of blunt force trauma to the cervical spine and chest, Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said.
Subramanian is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury as a Level 4 felony and passing a school bus when its arm signal is extended and causing death as a Level 5 felony. If convicted on both counts, Subramanian could be sentenced to between three and 18 years in prison, as well as ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
A pre-trial conference to discuss evidence was scheduled to be part of Monday’s hearing, but defense attorney James H. Voyles asked for a postponement until an unfinished report had been completed and both sides have adequate time to read it, he said. While Voyles did not say what type of report it was, the defense recently received the court’s permission to have a private accident reconstructionist company examine the school bus and submit a report to the court.
For the complete story on Monday’s hearing, see Tuesday’s Republic.
