71-year-old driver charged with murder in death of Blue Valley teen hit by car
A 71-year-old man was charged Wednesday with reckless second degree murder, nine months after he drove onto a sidewalk, hitting and killing a 14-year-old walking home from school.
Sudhir S. Gandhi, of Lenexa, Kansas, was being held on a $50,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in Johnson County District Court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from District Attorney Steve Howe.
Howe’s office declined to comment on the charges or investigation beyond what was in the release.
The charge stems from an April 12, 2019, wreck that killed 14-year-old Oxford Middle School student Alexandra “Alex” Rumple. It happened blocks from Oxford Middle School, just after students were let out for the day.
Gandhi was traveling north on Switzer Road near 127th Street when he drove up onto the east sidewalk at highway speeds, witnesses told police.
He continued north, nearly hitting three children at the 124th Street intersection and striking Rumple near the 123rd Street intersection, according to a police report.
Rumple was propelled onto the hood of the car and hit her head on the windshield before she was thrown off into the left lane of northbound Switzer.
Gandhi continued driving north after hitting the middle school student. He knocked a traffic light off its base and eventually slammed into a wooden fence, destroying 80 feet of it before coming to a stop in the right lane of Switzer.
An Overland Park police report said Gandhi showed no signs of impairment. He told police the brakes on his car had failed.
Overland Park police planned in April to perform a car autopsy on Gandhi’s vehicle to verify whether any mechanical problems were present during or prior to the accident.
Gandhi was taken to the hospital after the crash because he may have lost consciousness while driving, the report said.
Rumple was also taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries days later.
Community mourns
Hundreds of students, parents and community members gathered the day Rumple died for a vigil to remember and honor the 14-year-old.
At the vigil her teachers and friends remembered her as an outgoing straight-A student who was involved in multiple activities and had “wisdom beyond her years.”
Rumple played soccer, swam, ran track, loved art and played trumpet in a band. She was the only middle school student on her robotics team, which was preparing to compete in a world competition, Oxford Middle School principal Linda Crosthwait said at the vigil.
Rumple joined the robotics team, the Red Hot Techie Peppers, in 7th grade, her coach Rebecca Kidwell told The Star at the time.
She was known on the team for her talent and endearing sense of humor.
The team dedicated the world championships and their Geeks for Kids season, building cars for children with special needs, to Rumple.
They placed in the top third at the competition and adopted the motto “do it for Alex.”
After finishing the competition in Houston, the team drove to a beach. They stood in the ocean and hugged as their own private memorial for Rumple.
Update: An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect date for the crash. It occurred April 12, 2019.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 2:58 PM.
