Today is the sixth anniversary of the deaths of 9-year-old Alivia Stahl, center, and her twin brothers, Mason, left, and Xzavier Ingle. All three children were killed in a crash at a school bus stop on SR 25 outside Rochester, and their parents, Shane and Brittany Ingle, continue to advocate for school bus safety. Photos provided by Brittany Ingle.

Text and photos
By Léa Sander
InkFreeNews

AKRON — Brittany Ingle notes that all children “deserve a life, a chance to grow.”

This is a message she would convey to drivers when they are near school buses.

Ingle and her husband, Shane Ingle, of Akron lost three of their children, Alivia Stahl, and twins Mason and Xzavier Ingle, six years ago today in a school bus accident.

On October 30, 2018, the three children died after a driver hit them as they crossed the road to board their Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. bus. on SR 25 outside of Rochester.

After the children’s deaths, the Ingles worked to pass the MAXSTRONG bill through the Indiana General Assembly, authored by then-state Senator Randy Head. Signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in 2019, the law nicknamed with the children’s first initials includes tougher penalties for drivers who pass stopped school buses.

Ingle said she and Shane are honoring the children’s memory by continuing to maintain MAXSTRONG-related information online and “creating different promotional campaigns, anything we can do to raise awareness.”

She added that they were “looking at a lot of things, from physical equipment to additional legislation” to help keep school buses safe, but said she wasn’t ready to declare anything yet. specific.

Ingle noted that school bus stop arm violations occurred again this year in Fulton County, citing information provided by Rochester Community Schools Superintendent Jana Vance and Caston School Corp Superintendent ., Angie Miller, in an August update on the status of schools from the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce.

“It breaks my heart and makes me sick. People continue to risk their children’s lives,” Ingle said.

She said she would tell drivers to “please give yourself extra time, be aware of your surroundings.”

“My husband and I live a daily nightmare without three of our beautiful children,” Ingle said. “My daughter, Alivia, and our sons, Mason and Xzavier, were recklessly killed six years ago, and this pain is devastating and unfathomable, but God help us get through it. No parent should wake up to this daily heartache.

Amid the couple’s pain, they received a “blessing” in September 2023 when their son, Psalm, was born, Ingle said. Its name comes from Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. » Mason had a dog tag with the verse on it the day he died.

“It’s a perfect summary of how I’m still here today,” Ingle said of the verse. “He guided us through such darkness, and my son’s name is forever a tribute to God, thanking Him for saving me.”

“Psalm has brought immense blessings into our lives, filling us with much-needed love and joy and blossoming us wonderfully in the process,” she said.

Ingle said she thought Alivia, Mason and Xzavier “would be proud of my strength and courage, but not surprised, because they know I will fight the world for them,” regarding her efforts to promote safety school buses.

“My Alivia would be very proud to be able to contribute positively to the safety of children,” she said. “She had so much love to give. To know her was to love her.

Ingle said she prays “that one day… our local community will come together and unite to help save lives by helping to promote school bus safety.”

“As long as I breathe, my children will be remembered,” she added.