It is about a three-hour drive northwest of Brunswick to get to Houston County. The central Georgia area is home to a school bus driver who was recently sentenced to serve three years in state prison after causing a 2018 school bus crash that resulted in the death of a six-year-old girl.
The 31-year-old Warner Robins woman was also sentenced to spend seven years on probation after she’s released from prison. She was charged with and convicted of felony vehicular homicide, as well as reckless driving.
The elementary school girl was ejected from the bus on in late January of last year.
The 31-year-old driver was piloting the bus with 35 students on board when she entered a curve at a speed too high for safety, according to news reports. The bus veered off of the road, sliding for about 15 to 20 feet before rolling onto its side. The little girl was thrown from the vehicle and was rushed to a nearby hospital with critical injuries, but the first-grader died the next morning. Five other schoolchildren were also injured in the crash.
The bus driver’s trial took a week, according to a news report.
These kinds of tragedies are every parent’s nightmare. They entrust their little loved one to the school system and find their trust betrayed and their precious child taken away forever.
No one can undo these terrible events, but by pursuing a wrongful death claim, those responsible can be held accountable. Hopefully, other bus drivers and school administrators will learn to be much more careful with the young lives they are charged with protecting.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to another driver’s negligence, contact a Brunswick attorney experienced in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.
