Huge verdict in school bus death case

A case of breaking the rules resulted in a huge verdict in a Maryland courtroom recently. It involved the death of a teenager who was struck by a car as she crossed the street to get to her school bus in the early days of the school year in September 2009. In a wrongful death lawsuit, her family blamed the school district for failing to provide required safe transportation, specifically for violating a school policy that students be picked up on the side of the street on which they live. Ashley Davis, 13, was forced to cross the road to get to her bus when she was struck along with another teenager. A six-member jury in Prince George County handed down a $90 million verdict in the case. The family’s attorney told The Washington Post after the verdict: “The jury was upset that [the school board’s] policy was not followed for a full week and a little girl in her first year of high school ended up suffering the consequences.” Read more about school bus accident lawsuits.