Van crashes into Decatur Township elementary school classroom
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A van crashed into a Decatur Township elementary school classroom on the southwest side of Indianapolis early Wednesday morning.
Online records show that Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to 3425 Foltz St. on a report of a property damage accident just before 6 a.m.
That is the address of Stephen Decatur Elementary School off Kentucky Avenue in the Mars Hill neighborhood.
Online records show that the Indianapolis Fire Department responded to the scene to investigate a structure collapse around the same time.
Decatur Township Fire Department told News 8 at the scene that two people were inside the van at the time of the crash. Investigators believe that possible brake issues caused the crash.
Neither person was injured.
Only one classroom was impacted by the accident, and the building is believed to be structurally sound. Officials say crews will be on the scene for several hours.
MSD Decatur Schools told News 8 that all schools were closed Wednesday for Thanksgiving break. School officials said this in a statement.
As we confirmed earlier, a vehicle did drive through the side of Stephen Decatur Elementary this morning before 6:00 a.m., causing significant damage to a classroom. We are relieved that school was not in session and that no one was injured.
Our Facilities staff is currently working hard to clean up the debris and secure the building. Most items in the classroom are salvageable and will be moved to an available classroom. Any damaged or missing items will be replaced.
The school will be open and secure on Monday, Nov. 27, to welcome back all students and staff. The entire Stephen Decatur school community will work together to ensure a smooth transition for the students and teacher into their new classroom location.
We are grateful for the assistance of first responders and our staff members with this incident.
Emily LeMay, MSD Decatur Township
![A van crashed into a classroom at Stephen Decatur Elementary School on Nov 22, 2023. Investigators believe brake issues were to blame for the incident.](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/van-crash-4.jpg)
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![A van crashed into a classroom at Stephen Decatur Elementary School on Nov 22, 2023. Investigators believe brake issues were to blame for the incident.](https://www.wishtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/van-crash-2-768x1024.jpg)