ROCHESTER — Federal investigators will meet next month to review the 2018 northern Indiana crash that left three children dead.
The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a hearing on April 7 to further investigate the crash involving a pickup truck driven by 25-year-old Alyssa Shepherd. The NTSB is reviewing the crash so it can come up with recommendations on preventing future tragedies involving school buses.
Shepherd's vehicle hit the children as they were crossing State Road 25 to get to their school bus. Shepherd was convicted of reckless homicide and criminal recklessness. In January, she filed notice that she is appealing the conviction.
The crash killed 6-year-old twin brother Xzavier and Mason Ingle and their 9-year-old sister, Alivia Stahl. A fourth child, 11-year-old Maverik Lowe suffered serious injuries.
"We are appealing because although the accident is a heart-wrenching tragedy, we believe it is still just an accident and not a crime," said Stacy Uliana, the attorney representing Shepherd.
In October, Shepherd was convicted of three counts of reckless homicide, passing a school bus causing injury, and criminal recklessness resulting in serious injury. She was sentenced to four years in prison, three years of home detention, three years of probation and a 10-year driver's license suspension.
During the trial, Shepherd said she wasn't familiar with the route she was taking and didn't realize the lights she saw were from a school bus until it was too late.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
