Lawsuit Filed After Tragic Off-Campus Accident Claims Student’s Life

In a tragic incident in Nevada, a high school senior lost her life to a drunk driver while on her way to collect her graduation cap and gown. This occurred after her school required students to park off-campus due to a lack of sufficient parking spaces on school grounds, according to a lawsuit.

The grieving parents of 18-year-old McKenzie Scott have filed a lawsuit against both the Clark County School District and the city of Las Vegas, in addition to the driver responsible for the accident. The lawsuit accuses these parties of negligence and seeks justice for the wrongful death of their daughter, who was killed in a crash in May 2025.

The lawsuit was filed exactly one year after Scott’s untimely death. Keenan Jackson, who admitted to driving under the influence resulting in death, received a prison sentence of eight to 20 years in November after pleading guilty in October.

According to the legal documents, Scott was a senior at Arbor View High School and was set to take part in a “Senior Walk” ceremony. Due to inadequate parking facilities on campus, the school had instructed students via an email sent on April 9, 2025, to park on North Buffalo Drive.

Following the school’s instructions, Scott parked her car on North Buffalo Drive. She was heading to her vehicle to collect her cap and gown for the ceremony when Jackson, driving a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, struck her as she crossed the street in a marked crosswalk.

The lawsuit asserts that Scott was crossing legally when Jackson failed to yield, hitting her with his car. The collision resulted in severe blunt force injuries that proved fatal.

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.”