ROCHESTER, Ind. — A motorist whose pickup truck struck four children crossing a northern Indiana highway, killing three, told authorities she didn’t realize a school bus headed in the opposite direction was stopped in front of her.

A court recording reveals 24-year-old Alyssa Shepherd of Rochester told an Indiana State Police detective she saw something with lights in front of her but didn’t recognize it as a school bus.

Another driver estimated Shepherd’s speed at 45 mph. The posted speed limit is 55 mph.

The crash Tuesday morning killed 6-year-old twin brothers Xzavier and Mason Ingle, and their 9-year-old sister, Alivia Stahl. The surviving child, unrelated to the siblings, is hospitalized with multiple injuries.

Shepherd is charged with reckless homicide. She’s scheduled for an initial hearing Nov. 13 in Rochester.

Locally, the Vigo County School Corporation has placed black flags on the front of school buses to honor the children who were killed. 

The school corporation is collecting donations for the family.

You can drop cash or check donations at the transportation office, on Maple Avenue.