Independence woman accused of driving drunk, hitting three students in school parking lot
An Independence woman accused of driving drunk and hitting three students in a high school parking lot faces charges of three counts of child endangerment.
Keona K.N. Smith, 33, was also charged with assault and driving under the influence in the Oct. 4 incident, according to court records. She made her first court appearance in criminal and traffic court on Monday.
Smith was behind the wheel of a white GMC Acadia when she pulled out of the faculty parking lot at Van Horn High School at 1109 S Arlington Ave. in Independence, around dismissal time, according to court documents. Her 14-year-old daughter, who has special needs, was in the backseat of the SUV at the time, according to court documents.
Court documents state that at 3:01 p.m., Smith drove over the grassy median separating the faculty and student lots, where she attempted to drive through a large group of students waiting for buses in an area meant for foot traffic. As several students reportedly yelled for Smith to stop and tried to get out of the way or block her path, Smith continued driving through the crowd without slowing down.
She struck three students before smashing the SUV into a four-foot-high brick retaining wall, where the SUV became stuck, according to court documents.
Court documents state that Smith hit one student from behind and knocked them to the ground, visibly injuring their ankle, according to court documents. The two other students reported the SUV hit their legs and feet, but indicated that they did not need medical attention.
Multiple students told officers that Smith rolled down her window when they yelled at her to stop, saying “No, I have to get through,” just before hitting the three students, according to court documents.
When responding to the crash, Independence police officers used a breathalyzer and other tests to determine that Smith was intoxicated, court documents read.
Smith’s daughter was not injured in the crash.
After a school resource officer approached Smith at the smashed wall and turned off her car, she told him that she was having a medical emergency and needed to get through the parking lot, according to court documents.
Smith later said her husband was the one with the medical emergency, according to court documents. Officers noted that her husband appeared uninjured when he later arrived to pick up their daughter from the scene.
Smith is being held at the Independence Police Department Detention Unit on a $35,000 bond, according to court records. She will next appear in court on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.
Alcohol has been the primary contributing factor in 2,524 vehicle accidents across Missouri in 2024, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol data. Of these accidents, 1,089 have ended in injury and 67 have been fatal.
