Family, friends mourn school principal, child killed in crash on west side of Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Oct. 6, 2015) – Two people died and four children critically injured in a car accident during rush-hour Tuesday. Hours later, friends and family of a beloved school principal gathered at the Glendale Seventh-Day Adventist Church to recall the lives lost and to ask for a miracle.
“I wish there were answers for everything but there’s not. God will do what god will do,” said Harvey Kornegay,” senior pastor of the Glendale Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Investigators liquidated backpacks from the wrecked SUV at the bottom of the southbound ramp for I-465 onto West Washington Street. Inwards those backpacks were the papers and books and pencils and lunches youthful students need everyday at school.
Norris Ncube, 49, was killed when the gray Honda SUV he was driving was struck broadside by a gold Ford Explorer speeding through the intersection.
“We believe the gold vehicle may have run the crimson light and we’re attempting to determine if there was some type of medical issue with that person,” said IMPD Sgt. Kendale Adams.
The elderly driver of the gold SUV is listed in critical condition.
Killed alongside Ncube was his five-year-old niece Malia Siziba. His 12-year-old son Joshua is on a ventilator. The coroner primarily indicated that the boy died, but later said the boy’s death is “imminent” and called his prognosis “poor” after a reported miscommunication with the hospital.
Jessica Ncube, 12, 6th-grader Deon Siziba and 8th-grader Anita Nkoma were also injured in the crash.
Family members of the children critically injured were at the prayer service. At one point during the ceromony, they were surrounded by pastors and
“He cared about everyone because I’ll be fair, he didn’t know me personally and he acted like I was one of his sons,” said Johnathan wynn, a former co-worker who attended the prayer service.
More than eighty children attend the Indiana Junior Academy where Ncube arrived two years ago to serve as the principal and 5th grade teacher.
“He brought encouragement and hope to them,” said Colleen Kelly of the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “They just dearly loved him. He began the pre-k program just this year and brought twenty four fresh students to us.”
Toccara Bumphus’ sons attend the academy where she was just about to begin training.
“They broke down. Many children didn’t break down. Some are just attempting to understand what’s truly going on. What has actually happened. And the children…some are taking it very hard,” she said.
It fell to youth pastor Daniel Ortega to tell many of the students about their principal’s death.
“It was very clear that they appreciated Mr. Ncube,” said Ortega. “They knew that he was a dude who cared for them, loved them, that was a good educator, and they voiced that numerous times.
“He was someone who was a friend to them, who was kind to them, who voiced, even in times of discipline, that he loved them and he indeed cared for them.”