Groveport Madison High secretary dies in head-on crash
The Groveport Madison High School community is mourning the loss of its long-time secretary, who died after being hit in a head-on car crash Sunday.
Paula Kennedy, 58, of Groveport, was driving her 2019 Nissan Rogue on the city's East Side Sunday morning when a 15-year-old boy driving a 2022 Mercedes SL hit her head-on. A Madison Township police officer was pursuing the Mercedes, which had been reported stolen minutes earlier.
The officer attempted to stop the car using lights and sirens, but the vehicle ran a red light and crashed into Kennedy's car. Kennedy was transported to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center in life-threatening condition, where she later died.
Madison Township Police Chief Gary York said the crash is being investigated by the Franklin County sheriff 's office.
Groveport Madison High School Principal Paul Smathers sent a letter to the district community expressing his sadness over Kennedy's death.
“Words cannot describe the sadness of this situation and the loss it represents to our school and to our Cruiser family,” Smathers said. Kennedy had worked at Groveport Madison Schools for 17 years, and her four daughters are Groveport Madison High Schools alumni.
“It's times like these that make us appreciate those we hold dear,” Smathers said.
Groveport Madison's Vice Principal Jeff Altman shared in a public Facebook post that Kennedy was “the REAL MVP” of the building.
“She was the first face you saw as you arrived daily. She was the first voice you heard on the other end of a GMHS phone call in the morning,” Altman wrote. “She was the ‘Work Mom' for so many. She was the ‘Friend You Needed' at all moments of the day. She was in short ‘Our Local Hero.'”
Grief counselors and support staff will be available at the high school for any student who needs it.
A Gofundme created by one of Kennedy's daughters, Elizabeth Messmer, raised more than $10,000 in less than a day. It's been a difficult month for the family, Messmer wrote on the fundraiser, as their father had died just three weeks earlier.
Kennedy's death is the most serious consequence of a recent uptick in teen car thefts.
Columbus police have reported another spike in the number of stolen cars this year, with many of the perpetrators being in their teens.
This spring, Columbus police resurrected “Operation Game Over,” an enforcement effort to stem juvenile crime, after three groups of teens were identified as being involved in a number of purse thefts, car thefts and carjackings.
“It's not just about that car, it's about all those other crimes too,” Cmdr. Duane Mabry recently told the Dispatch. “We're watching these young people steal these cars and then caravan to the next crime, stealing cars along the way.” shendrix@dispatch.com @sheridan120