Marion City Schools took steps on Tuesday to help grieving students and staff after learning about the death of a second-grader over the weekend, according to a media release. School administrators learned Monday that 8-year-old Isabella Zinsmaster, along with her mother and uncle, was killed in a car crash on Sunday evening in Delaware.
Teachers informed students of the news after they arrived at school on Tuesday.
The district provided counselors and social workers to speak to both students and staff. District administrators asked staff to provide students with any additional support as needed throughout the day.
“McKinley Elementary is a family,” Superintendent Gary Barber said. “We are deeply saddened about our loss. Today’s about emotional health.”
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported the fatal crash occurred on State Route 229, just east of Horseshoe Road, in Delaware County Sunday evening.
Investigators said that 33-year-old James Wyatt III, of Marion, was driving a 2004 Chrysler Sebring east on State Route 229 when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and crashed into a tree.
The Patrol said Wyatt was killed in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. The left rear passenger, Elizabeth A. Wyatt, 28, of Marion, and the right rear passenger, Isabella Zinsmaster, were also killed in the crash.
The front seat passenger, Jessica Wray, 22, was transported to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center by MedFlight. She was listed in critical condition.
Investigators said that no one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt at the time of crash. Alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in the crash.
The mother of James and Elizabeth had just passed away on Saturday, January 18, 2014 from an illness.
School officials said a letter will be sent home to parents on Tuesday letting them know that their children can speak with a guidance counselor if more support is needed.
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