Brain Injury Attorney Blog

A Cincinnati-based school bus company paid $5 million this week to settle a wrongful death lawsuit in Missouri where one of the drivers ran over 16 year old Mason Adams. The Missouri case alleged a 23-year-old First Student bus driver failed to defrost or scrape the bus’ windshield and then drove the bus over a 16-year-old who was legally crossing the street on November 15, 2010. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the teen's mother, Bridgett Blasi because First Student, who has a contract with Cincinnati Public Schools to transport students, refused to admit its role in her son's death.

“What Ms. Blasi has been seeking for over a year was an apology and acknowledgment of responsibility from First Student,” said Blasi’s wrongful death attorney, Michael Kuckelman. The case was ready to go to trial on Monday, Kuckelman said, but that ended when First Student agreed to pay Blasi a $5 million settlement, to apologize, admit the company’s role in her son’s death and allow her to help its drivers learn from this case.

The bus' video showed the entire incident and revealed that the driver failed to properly defrost the windshield which resulted in the driver's inability to see the teen crossing the street in a crosswalk legally with the traffic light.

“First Student has agreed that the mother will have the opportunity to participate in training bus drivers to being a first-hand account of how people suffer from a company cutting corners,” her wrongful death lawyer said.

Defective vehicles and negligent driving behavior account for thousands of accidents and injuries each year. When someone dies as a result of another party's negligence, it may be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit. Below are some of the most common types of accidents and injuries leading to wrongful deaths. If you or someone you know has a wrongful death case, you will need to speak with an experienced wrongful death attorney. Call one of the Myrtle Beach wrongful death lawyers to schedule a consultation.