Will Ensley, 17, who would have started his senior year at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School next month, has been identified as the person killed in a traffic crash Wednesday morning.
Shawnee Mission School District officials confirmed the news of Ensley’s death Thursday.
SM Northwest Principal Lisa Gruman sent a letter to families, calling Ensley an “amazing presence in our community.”
“As you can imagine, this is devastating news for the family and for all of us here at Northwest,” Gruman wrote. “We will keep the family close in our thoughts as we hold our Northwest community close as well.”
The crash involved nine vehicles
- Ensley’s vehicle was involved in a chain reaction crash Wednesday morning that ultimately involved nine vehicles, according to Overland Park Police.
- Investigators say another vehicle struck Ensley’s, sending Ensley’s car into two other vehicles. Those vehicles were forced into other vehicles, too.
- The wreck, which occurred around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday near 115th and Metcalf, is still under investigation.
- No other drivers were seriously injured, according to police.
Ensley was an ‘exceptional swimmer’
- Ensley finished seventh in breaststroke at this year’s Kansas Class 6A state swimming and diving meet, according to the SM Northwest’s athletics page.
- He also set a school record with his split time in the 50-meter breaststroke relay event.
- Jamie Borgman, a Shawnee Mission school board member who is a parent at SM Northwest, said Ensley was known around school as an “exceptional swimmer.”
- “The Northwest community is devastated by the loss of Will,” she said in a text to the Post, speaking as a parent and not in an official capacity as a board member. “My son knew him and said he was the nicest kid. I’m not sure anyone in our community has thought about anything else since hearing the news. We are truly heartbroken.”
Support resources available for students, families
- In her email to families, Gruman said counselors and social workers would be available at SM Northwest on Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- She also urged anyone who needed help to also consider calling 988, the National Crisis Hotline.
- “Death is always difficult to handle, but especially when someone is so young,” Gruman said. “It will be important to recognize that all of us will need time to process what has happened, and to express our feelings.”
- She also linked to this guide for parents and caregivers wanting advice on how to talk to their children about death.
