Family from Kansas struck in Downtown Louisville identified

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The names of the pedestrians struck by a vehicle at the intersection of 2nd Street and West Market Street Tuesday night.

According to WAVE’s sister station KWCH in Wichita, Kan., Nickerson basketball star Ava Jones, who recently committed to play at the University of Iowa, and her family were involved in this crash.

Ava, a standout at Nickerson High School, a small town northwest of Wichita, is listed among ESPN’s top 100 high school players in the country.

Her and her family were reportedly in Louisville participating in the Run 4 Roses youth basketball tournament, which runs through Friday.

Around 30,000 people are estimated to attend the four days of games according to the Kentucky Expo Center.

Dylan Evans, the owner and director of Jones’ summer team, Wheat State Elite, said Ava, her parents Trey and Amy, and her brother are all hospitalized following the crash.

Ava’ parents remain in critical condition and Ava remains in serious but stable condition. Her younger brother was treated for minor injuries.

Mayor Greg Fischer asked the public Wednesday to keep a Kansas family of four in their prayers.

“Their lives are going to be changed pretty significantly here now with the two adults in critical condition and one of the children as well,” Fischer said.  “So let’s make sure we keep them in our prayers and hope everything that’s good possible happens for them.”

Parents travelling with the participating teams describe being on the road weeks and months at a time as they travel from tournament to tournament.

Security is a constant concern.

“It’s very unsettling” parent Geno Williams said about the Jones family.  “You have to ask yourself so many times what are you going to do when you go out on the road and how are you going to do it when you go out on the road?”

“We kind of travel together anyway so we stick really close,” parent Michelle Simchen said. “We drive everywhere together.  We’re literally following each other, waiting on each other. So, you know, to make sure our kids are all safe.”

The driver of the vehicle, Michael Steele Empson Hurley, 33, of Lexington, Ind., was taken into custody and booked into Louisville Metro Corrections.

LMPD’s Traffic Unit continues its investigation.

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