BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Months after 14-year-old Audrey Bousum was hit on her bike in Hendricks County, the man driving the motorcycle is officially charged.
The crash happened in August on Raceway Road near the B&O trail, which is on the Hendricks-Marion County line.
This week, the Hendricks County prosecutor charged 22-year-old Trevor Bowman with two felonies: criminal recklessness resulting in serious bodily injury and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance.
According to the sheriff's office, Bousum and her dad were crossing the road to get to the trail when the motorcyclist hit her.
Investigators say witnesses observed Bowman driving, “at high rates of speed, passing on double yellow lines and driving close behind other vehicles on the roadway before passing.”
“Bowman passed a vehicle just north of the crash location and reentered the southbound lanes before striking Audrey on the bicycle,” according to the documents.
One witness said the incident started after Bowman got into an agreement with another driver on the side of the road and allegedly pulled out a gun. He said the motorcyclist then began to chase the driver.
Investigators say Bowman’s toxicology report found delta-9 Carboxy THC, delta-9 THC, benzoylecgonine and cocaine in his system.
Officials believe Bowman was traveling around 52 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the crash.
However, Bowman told investigators that he does not remember what occurred.
“I found the crash impact itself would have been just over 25 mph slower if Mr. Bowman had been traveling the speed limit. Not only would Mr. Bowman have struck Audrey at the lower speeds, it is possible at these lower speeds, Mr. Bowman would have been able to maneuver the motorcycle in a safe manner around Audrey,” said the crash investigator in the documents.
As the case unfolds, the Bousum family is focused on Audrey’s recovery.
“Literally that first night she was minute to minute and then she was hour to hour the next day and then by the third day she was finally seeing some signs of doing better,” said Zane Bousum, Audrey’s dad. “Now 16 weeks later, we’re able to see Audrey doing some of the things she wanted to do before.”
Audrey underwent multiple surgeries and spent weeks in a wheelchair. As of this month, she is now back in school full-time and is using crutches.
On Tuesday, the Brownsburg High School freshman marked a huge milestone in her recovery. She swam in her first high school meet since the crash.
“All of her teammates were on one end cheering her on. She was able to dive in from the side. She can’t go off the block yet because of her knee and ankle, but she went off the side and swam a really great 50 free,” said Rachel Bousum, Audrey’s mom.
As for the case, the Bousum family said they’re choosing forgiveness despite how hard it may be.
“We are praying that he can know the Lord. We are praying that he can draw close to the things that God has for him and to be able to see miracles that we have seen. So, we pray for that, for anybody, even for him,” Zane Bousum said. “We believe justice should be for Audrey and what she went through because none of us know the stuff she went through, and she is now persevering, but it was in the midst of something that wasn’t her fault.”
“We believe we have to forgive Trevor and so we do. We know we have a lot of people praying for Audrey who are also praying for Trevor. So, we forgive him, but we also know he had some really grave actions that deserve grave consequences,” Rachael Bousum said.
Lawmakers and neighbors continue to fight for changes on Raceway Road including more sidewalks, lights and signs.
13News checked back in with local leaders. Hendricks County officials said they looked into the idea and discovered the area is part of Brownsburg’s jurisdiction.
However, Brownsburg officials said the area is complex and that the town needs to coordinate with other agencies before a plan is made.