When the bell rings at 2:10, East freshmen rush out of the doors. The parking lot is filled with students as they pile onto the buses to bring them home. Some students choose to walk instead of boarding a bus. They cross Bethany Road to the East main campus, Smoothie King, Edge Teen Center, or maybe Dairy Queen. This is a daily routine: large hoards of students make their way across the same road time and time again. They are expected to make it to football practice, to grab a smoothie, or to their volunteering session.
When East freshman, Aspen Runnels, crossed on the Bethany Road crosswalk to get to the Edge Teen Center, he expected to make it there. He expected to make it across the road and continue with his day just as thousands of students had before him, but that did not happen.
On May 15, 2024, 15-year-old Runnels began the short trip on foot from the Lakota East Freshman building to the Edge Teen Center. While crossing the Bethany Road crosswalk, a distracted driver failed to slow down in the school zone or yield at the crosswalk, according to the traffic crash report. Instead, the driver struck Runnels, leaving him to suffer catastrophic injuries. A few days after the accident, less than a month before his 16th birthday, Runnels was declared brain-dead and he was taken off his ventilator.
“Anyone who knew Aspen knew that he was a huge Taylor Swift fan! He enjoyed music, dancing, doing color guard, traveling, playing video games, and actively learning French. He was accepted into Butler Tech’s 10th-grade program, and was planning to major in digital media design,” Runnel’s mother, Christina Alcorn told Spark. “He liked to paint and create, and he loved spending time with his friends and us. He and I would often go out to dinner and share earbuds, and we would trade songs; one that he thought I’d like, and one I thought he’d like. He was fun to be around.”
Alcorn said that Aspen was compassionate, funny, loving, intelligent, and always willing to try new things. He was an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and passionate about mental health care. According to Alcorn, he was kind to everyone “even when people weren’t kind to him.”
“He never let other people’s criticism bother him. He truly didn’t care what others thought about him,” said Alcorn. “He was authentically Aspen, and I loved him so much for it. I wouldn’t have wanted him any other way.”
Though she said that she has not seen much progress regarding safety on Bethany Road, besides moving the school zone out 300 feet and adding a stop for the activity bus at the Edge Teen Center, she has been a part of several safety discussions. She has participated in discussions with the West Chester Police Department and Engineer’s Office, but has not heard from the Lakota school board since the October traffic safety meeting.
“There have been some discussions I have been a part of and others I was not able to be part of, but overall I feel that the school, local law enforcement, and the engineer’s office have heard us about the necessity of change,” said Alcorn. “The West Chester police department in particular has been wonderful about keeping Trisha Parnell and myself up to date on new strategies to improve certain roadways, intersections, and traffic flows in and out of the schools.”
In 2018, Trisha Parnell’s 15-year-old daughter was struck by a driver while on a crosswalk to Lakota West High School in the early morning hours. When she learned of Runnel’s being struck, it brought her back to that horrific morning in 2018.
“It was really gut-wrenching for me, as a mom. It took me back to that same day in 2018, and then I immediately got really angry because it felt like what happened to Maddy happened for no reason,” Parnell told Spark. “Nobody did anything to protect these kids any further.”
Because it was a rainy morning, Parnell said that her daughter plugged her headphones into her phone and put her backpack on before stepping out of the vehicle. She was also dressed in all black because she had theater dress rehearsals that day and she was a part of the theater tech crew. Combined with the lack of light, she was difficult to spot.
“She got out of the car, we said our goodbyes, and I told her I love her. She hit the crosswalk light, I watched her activate it. As she started onto the crosswalk, I turned right to go over the bridge for me to get to work,” said Parnell. “About 15 or 20 minutes later -it’s hard to gauge time because time kind of stood still in that moment- I got a call that she had been involved in an accident.”
When she answered the call, her mind immediately jumped to thinking that her daughter had taken some sort of fall at school. Parnell soon realized that the accident was far more serious than what she had imagined. She was then told that Maddy had been transported to the UC Health West Chester Hospital, as it was the closest trauma hospital. After being checked for internal bleeding and spinal injuries and being declared stable, Maddy was transported to the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati.
“They determined that there were three pelvic injuries and two fractures in the back which are called buckle fractures which were from when she hit the ground, the back part of her pelvic bone buckled and it caused a fracture on both the left and right side,” said Parnell. “[The impact] disconnected the portion of the pelvis that the spine is attached to, but the spine did not disconnect. She also had a significant break in the front of her pelvis, where the bone that broke was within millimeters of puncturing her bladder.”
It was also determined that she had fractured her shoulder blade, broken her collarbone on the right side, broken her ankle on her right leg, fractured her pelvis in three places, and torn her ACL on the left leg. Maddy had to undergo ankle and clavicle surgery at the same time, ACL surgery, pelvis surgery, and intense physical therapy. She also had to have a bolt put through her back to hold her buckle fracture together, a plate placed in her collarbone, and a plate and pins put in her ankle. She was not allowed to walk for two months due to her pelvis injuries. The only reason she did not sustain head injuries was the backpack full of textbooks that landed under her head.
“I had to 100% be her caretaker for at least the first two to four months because she could not walk. Her wheelchair was too wide to go through the bathroom door, so I would have to pick her up and carry her to the bathroom,” said Parnell. “I would have to pick her up and carry her to the car. She couldn’t get into bed without us. She couldn’t take a shower without me picking her up and putting her in the shower.”
The driver who struck Maddy was charged with failure to yield at a crosswalk and speeding in a school zone.
“There were no repercussions for him striking a pedestrian, or a minor, with his vehicle,” said Parnell.
Following her daughter’s accident, Parnell received support from the Lakota West principal, her daughter’s teachers, and the school resource officer. She said that everyone made sure that her daughter did not fall behind as an honor roll student.
Parnell requested to be notified by the county when a court date was set, but she never received the information.
Though there was a crosswalk light, there were no flashing lights at the crosswalk on West Chester Road when Maddy was struck, they were installed five months after the accident.
Pedestrian accidents have continued to occur near Lakota schools. On September 20, 2024, a 17-year-old girl was struck by a pickup truck while walking to West. The student was hit on the West Chester Road crosswalk and taken to West Chester Hospital. As stated by the crash report, the student was in a crosswalk zone when she was struck. She sustained serious injuries but is expected to make a recovery.
According to Lakota Superintendent, Dr. Ashley Whitely, traffic safety discussions are ongoing. There are additional meetings planned to look at additional safety improvement options. Lakota hosted a traffic safety Community Conversation on October 23. At this meeting accident prevention options like informational videos, speed limit reductions, rumble strips, roundabouts, pedestrian bridges, speed humps, and crossing guards were discussed.
“The term “crossing guard” is used to describe a person who has completed specific training about traffic safety. This allows them to step into the street as students cross,” Whitely told Spark. “Some of our schools have staff members who stand at the curb to stop students until it is safe to cross the street in groups. The District is exploring the possibility of expanding the number of staff we have in these roles.”
Whitely has had meetings with representatives from West Chester Township and Liberty Township, the West Chester Police Department, and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
“We reviewed the traffic patterns at all 23 Lakota schools, looking for challenges and opportunities for growth. These conversations are ongoing,” said Whitely. “At East Freshman, the school zone has been extended and a speed safety study was conducted, evaluating the speed limit near the school on Bethany Road. At Lakota West High School, new LED lighting has been installed at the crosswalk on West Chester Road, leading to MidPointe Library.”
Prior to the accident on May 12, concerns about the crosswalk were raised by community members. Lakota mother and Butler County resident Melody Moeller reported safety issues at the Bethany Road crosswalk to staff at the freshman building and a representative at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
“I reported a ‘blind spot’ at the crosswalk [on Bethany Road]. The blind spot is only applicable when students are going towards the high school,” Moeller told Spark. “The blind spot occurs when a car is in the left turn lane, waiting to turn left into the freshman campus. Students can’t see the cars going straight towards Butler Warren [Road], nor can the cars going straight see the students crossing in the direction towards the high school.”
After speaking to a representative at the freshman campus twice, and speaking to a representative for the Butler County Sheriff’s Office via phone call once, Moeller feels that her “concerns were not met”. She also said that she is “not aware of” the county taking measures to investigate or address her concerns.
“There are many spots along the road that can cause vehicle run-offs due to not enough shoulder between the road and deep ditches. This is unacceptable considering a lot of young drivers travel on this road, going to not one, but two schools,” said Moeller. “There are many preventative safety measures that can be taken to ensure the safety of our students and our community.”
Lakota Chief Operations Officer, Chris Passarge, told Spark that not only was the East Freshman property school zone extended by 300 feet, but new “SCHOOL” pavement markings were installed as well. The preexisting markings were not removed. Both approaches now have two “SCHOOL” pavement markings to alert drivers.
The East Freshman building has a bus that takes students to the main building after school, as an alternative to walking.
“The after-school activity bus that takes students to main campus from East Freshman now makes a stop at Edge Teen Center,” Passarge told Spark. “Students who attend Edge after school can ride the bus over this year.”
One of the safety measures discussed at the traffic safety meeting was pedestrian bridges, but according to Passarge, the effectiveness of the bridges would be under discussion. The question of how to fund and maintain the bridges would also have to be raised.
“The bridges would be larger structures with switch-back ramps to allow access. You would have to fence off all access points around the bridge to funnel pedestrians to use the bridge,” said Passarge. “If the bridge is at an intersection, pedestrians could circumvent the fencing and still cross without using the bridge.”
Butler County Traffic Engineer, Matt Loeffler, told Spark that Bethany Road has a journalized and legal speed limit of 40 miles per hour outside of the East Freshman School. A recent speed study conducted by the Butler County Sheriff’s Department Confirmed that this was an appropriate speed limit. The speed limit on West Chester Road has a journalized and legal speed limit of 40 miles per hour outside of Lakota West High School. A recent speed study was completed and showed a reduction to 35 miles per hour.
“The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) must approve all speed limit revisions. ODOT approved and new 35 mph signs will be installed soon,” Loeffler told Spark. These speed limits pose an obstacle in the way of certain crosswalk safety innovations.
“Speed humps, speed cushions, or speed tables are designed to maintain operating vehicle speeds of 20-25 mph. They are not suited for roadways with posted, legal speed limits greater than 30 mph,” said Loeffler. Other obstacles in implementing traffic safety methods are funding and space, according to Loeffler. “Roundabouts are a great option around schools to calm traffic and improve safety. A roundabout requires funding and space to construct,” said Loeffler. “Currently, there is no funding source to proceed with a roundabout option.”
Safety measures that have been implemented at West High School, according to Loeffler, include an extension of flashing school light times for an additional time slot during morning arrival. Advanced warning flashers have also been ordered for the West High School crosswalk.
“It is very important to promote safe and alert driving and walking. Traffic warning devices and engineering tools are not 100% effective at eliminating crashes,” said Loeffler.
Beyond advocating for crosswalk safety at the county and school district level, Alcorn and Parnell continue working towards a change in Ohio law.
“I was horrified and disheartened to learn that the woman who hit and killed my only son would be facing a misdemeanor. This was brought before a grand jury and our prosecutor pushed for a felony, but at the end of the day, the law in Ohio did not support a felony in this instance as it is written,” said Alcorn. “This inspired me to want to push for a change in the law.”
The repercussions faced by the drivers in both Parnell and Alcorn’s children’s cases pushed them to write “Aspen’s Law”.
“The motivation behind Aspen’s law is to make it an automatic felony to hit a pedestrian in an active school zone, similar to hitting a construction worker in an active construction zone,” said Alcorn. “I feel strongly that the school zone should be a protected zone, and if speeding or other violations of traffic law occur and result in bodily harm or death to a pedestrian, this should be considered an automatic felony charge.”
Parnell and Alcorn recently collaborated on writing a draft of the law and sent it over to Representative Thomas Hall. They spoke with Representative Hall at a parent-driven safety meeting at the Edge Teen Center in September, and he was open to helping “push this legislation up the ladder”. For now, they are waiting for his response and will proceed from there.
