INDIANAPOLIS -- To help Ben Davis High School students cope with the loss of two of their classmates, therapy dogs will be on hand this week.
Two kids, 17-year-old Alexandra Koffi and her 13-year-old brother, Aaron Koffi, were killed in a crash Sunday afternoon on Indy's west side.
The crash happened around 3 p.m. in the area of 8450 W. Washington Street, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.
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Alexandra was a junior at Ben Davis High School. Aaron was a seventh grader at the Lynhurst 7th & 8th Grade Center.
Therapy dogs help those coping with loss because they offer an unconditional willingness to be petted, hugged, or whatever else somebody needs, according to Paws & Think, the therapy organization working with Ben Davis.
“Dogs have an intuitive instinct to go to those that are most open to connecting with the team and those that are in the most pain,” said Gerry Griffith, a Paws & Think volunteer and trainer for Indiana Crisis Assistance Response Team. “Many times you will see the dog leading the handler to the individual that will be most served by their presence.”
The organization partners with schools, health care facilities, the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center, humane societies/shelters and other organizations.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
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