Tragic Off-Campus Parking Incident: Student Killed by Driver Sparks Legal Action

A tragic incident unfolded in Nevada, where a high school senior lost her life in a crash involving a drunk driver. This heartbreaking event occurred as the young student was on her way to collect her graduation cap and gown for a “Senior Walk” ceremony. The unfortunate circumstances arose after the school directed students to park off-campus due to limited parking space on school grounds, as detailed in a lawsuit.

McKenzie Scott, the 18-year-old victim, was a senior at Arbor View High School. Her grieving parents have initiated a lawsuit against the Clark County School District, the city of Las Vegas, and the driver responsible for their daughter’s death. The suit alleges negligence and wrongful death related to the accident, which took place in May 2025.

The family filed their lawsuit exactly one year after the tragic day that claimed Scott’s life. The driver, Keenan Jackson, admitted to charges of DUI resulting in death. In November, he received a sentence ranging from eight to twenty years in prison.

The legal complaint outlines the events leading to the tragedy. On the day of the incident, Scott was set to participate in her school’s “Senior Walk.” Due to the lack of parking spaces on campus, students were instructed via an email sent on April 9, 2025, to park along North Buffalo Drive.

Following the school’s instructions, Scott parked her car on North Buffalo Drive. She was en route to retrieve her cap and gown from her vehicle when Jackson, driving a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, fatally struck her in a designated crosswalk.

“Scott was lawfully crossing,” the complaint says. “Jackson failed to yield the right of way and struck her with his vehicle. The impact caused [Scott] to sustain catastrophic blunt force injuries.”

Scott was pronounced dead at the hospital. Her family says the crosswalk she was in had been the subject of “multiple complaints and concerns regarding its unreasonably dangerous nature” of which the city and school district were aware.

“Despite these multiple complaints and concerns of the unreasonably dangerous subject crosswalk, neither defendant City of Las Vegas nor defendant CCSD took adequate measures to protect pedestrians using the subject crosswalk,” the complaint alleges. “Defendant City of Las Vegas failed to install adequate warning devices, signals, or other traffic calming measures at the subject crosswalk despite actual knowledge of the unreasonably dangerous conditions there.”

Arbor View High School and the district “knew or should have known” that directing students to park on Buffalo Drive would expose them to the “unreasonably dangerous” crosswalk and they “failed to provide adequate crossing guards or other safety measures,” the complaint concludes.

“Following [Scott’s] death, both the City of Las Vegas and CCSD implemented safety measures that were known … and that were feasible to implement prior to May 2, 2025; and should have been in place prior to May 2, 2025,” the document charges, noting how overhead pedestrian-activated flashers and additional signage were installed at the crosswalk. A crossing guard program at Arbor View High School was also implemented.

Scott’s family has requested a jury trial and more than $130,000 in damages.

A CCSD spokesperson provided a statement to Law&Crime on Wednesday, saying, “The CCSD community continues to share our deepest condolences with the family of McKenzie Scott. While we continue to provide support to the school community following the tragic loss, CCSD does not comment on pending litigation.”

The City of Las Vegas told Law&Crime, “The city is reviewing the filing.”