Wrongful death lawsuit against bus company settled

The mother of a teenage boy who was struck and killed by a school bus can breathe a little easier now that she has settled a wrongful death lawsuit she brought against the largest bus company in the nation. That lawsuit was reportedly settled for $5 million.

The bus accident occurred in November of 2010. The 23-year-old school bus driver reportedly did not take necessary safety precautions, including inspecting the bus before driving. The school bus’s windows were covered with frost and she had little to no visibility from the inside of the bus to see her surroundings, making the situation very dangerous.

In fact, it was revealed that the bus driver had to open the bus doors to look at intersections on the roadway because of the accumulated frost on the windows. This was the situation when the bus struck and killed a 16-year-old boy.

By bringing the lawsuit, the mother hoped to hold the bus company responsible for her son’s untimely death. She was not necessarily seeking the money, so much as to hold the bus company accountable for the negligence of its driver. By settling the lawsuit, the bus company is taking responsibility for its bus driver’s negligence. In fact, the bus company did admit its fault in court.

Interestingly, another facet of the settlement is that this mom will be allowed to speak at bus driver training sessions to teach new drivers about the dangers of cutting corners when driving a bus. Failure to take basic safety precautions, such as cleaning off the frost from windows on the bus can have deadly consequences as she has experienced firsthand.

Though this bus accident did not take place in New York City, it highlights the dangers posed for drivers of buses and the importance of safety when operating such a large vehicle.

Source: fox4kc.com, “Student Killed in Bus Accident; Wrongful Death Lawsuit Settled,” Gia Vang, Feb. 6, 2012