National Park. Te only lights after dark are from stars and the vehicles traveling along this peacefully desolate stretch of Earth. Tat afternoon, Makayla called Melissa to ask if she could take a later bus home that evening so she could attend a dance after school. Sperry said she would normally would arrive home by 4 p.m., but the activity route that day wouldn’t leave the school till 6 before embarking on the approximately 50-minute drive to her house. A light snow was still falling through a low ceiling of clouds, but unlike what was later claimed in court, it was not foggy, Sperry recalled. He said he and Melissa were in the kitchen when they heard the bus pull up outside, and they could see the flashing red lights. Ten their lives changed forever. “We heard the accident, we heard the impact, and


by the time I got to my front door, to Makayla, she was already deceased. She was killed immediately,” Sperry said. “Absolute nightmare.” As Makayla stepped into the highway, she was


struck by a pickup truck driven by William Barnes at 57 mph, the sheriff’s office investigation later found. Barnes, 57 years of age at the time, was driving south- east in the opposite direction of the school bus when, according to court documents, he later said he saw what appeared to be a fire truck, or maybe it was a car turning. Ten, he said he didn’t know what it was be- fore admitting it was a school bus. Regardless, based on the crash scene investigation, what is known is that Barnes didn’t apply the brakes until after making impact with Makayla’s body. Barnes was released at the scene as he passed a field sobriety test, but two weeks later he was arrested and charged driving too fast for conditions, aggravated ho- micide, vehicular homicide, unsafe driving, and passing school bus with stop lights activated.


Makalya would have turned 16 years old last month. Stepfather Dan Sperry is pushing student transporters to make sure her death is not in vain.


www.stnonline.com 65


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