Kokomo bus crash witnesses grieve killed construction worker

KOKOMO, Ind. - Construction crews are back to work, repaving the streets near State Road 22 and County Road 400 East in Kokomo on Wednesday.




They said they had a day off following a bus crash that killed one of their own on Monday afternoon.




Students at Northwestern Middle School were also given time to grieve.




"We were really distraught, and just everyone so devastated by what happened," said Amy Demler, a mom of one of the students. 




Eight kids were on board at the time of the crash, including Demler's son. 




"He was literally right down the road from our house, just one block away," she said.




"We later learned that she was on her way to drop our son off. He would have been the next stop before this happened."




State police said 31-year-old construction worker Aaron Esparza was directing traffic when a truck hit the school bus as it entered the intersection.




The crash caused the bus to slide into Esparza, killing him on impact.




"My heart just really goes out to our school bus driver and the man that hit her and the family of the man that was killed," said Demler.




"All we can do, really, is to pray for them and support them however we are able."




There are still tire tracks marks and debris in the grass near the scene, but now a memorial also sits.




The owner of the property where the crash happened, Ashley Hensley, placed it there on Wednesday morning.




"Just knowing that the lives of his family were going to be changed forever and knowing that there was nothing I could say or do to comfort them, I thought that maybe just putting that out there would allow them a spot to come and have some sort of comfort," said Hensley.




Both Demler and Hensley said they don't want people to point blame at anyone involved; however, state police are still investigating what happened.




"I think that we should focus on comforting a family and in their time of need, instead of trying to point fingers," said Hensley.





via: https://fox59.com/news/kokomo-bus-crash-witnesses-grieve-killed-construction-worker/