MASON, Oh. (WLWT) – A Mason High School student has died after being involved in a bike accident, school officials said Friday.
According to police, Mary Scheeler, 18, was riding her bike just before 8 p.m. Thursday in the area of Mason Montgomery and Bethany roads when she was hit by a vehicle.
WLWT reports police said Scheeler was taken to West Chester Hospital then flown to UC Health. The school said she died on Friday.
The 50-year-old driver was not hurt. The crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.
Scheeler had Down syndrome and was an active member in several organizations for students with special needs, including Top Soccer and Comets in Action. The school said she loved playing basketball, riding her bike and Doc McStuffins.
Several of her friends and classmates told WLWT they were in disbelief when they heard she was in critical condition. Mason senior Sierra Bird got to see Scheeler in the intensive care unit at UC Medical Center hours before her death.
“It was really hard seeing Mary not being Mary and we just kept wanting her to sit up and laugh and give us hugs like she always did,” Bird said. “It was really hard to see her family but also encouraging because they were very strong, a lot stronger than we thought they would be. That was encouraging for us to see. If they are able to hold it together, we should be able to as well and then we also left with a sense of peace just knowing that we were able to say our last goodbyes.”
“She was wonderful at making her friends and family feel loved,” the school said in a statement.
One of her friends’ favorite memories was in 2015 when she scored her first basketball for Mason Middle School. Scheeler was the team manager and got to play in the final game of the season.
“It was just really special because she made a basket, then she hustled back on defense and she was all excited. It was a good moment,” Mason senior Grace Dawes said. “She always came to practices. (She was) always supporting us, helping us on drills, participating. Whenever we had bad days, Mary was always the one to make us smile.”
“She was very spunky, just always so happy and you always knew that she would have a smile on her face and make anybody happy around her and that was just amazing,” Mason senior Chloe Scott said.
The school said a full crisis response team of district and outside counselors and school psychologists will be at Mason High School on Monday.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
