Schools settle bus wreck lawsuit
Published 10:52 pm Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Suffolk School Board will pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the mother of a Nansemond River High School student who was injured in a school bus crash in 2009.
Laura Winborne sued the School Board on behalf of her daughter, Lauren Winborne, who was riding the bus to school on Jan. 28, 2009. The wreck occurred when the bus driver, William M. Blackwell, was headed westbound on Nansemond Parkway about a half-mile east of Shoulders Hill Road. The bus rear-ended a passenger vehicle.
The suit alleged that Blackwell was negligent in his operation of the bus, which led to the wreck. Lauren Winborne suffered serious injuries as a result.
Medical bills enumerated in the case file total nearly $8,600.
The case was scheduled for a jury trial this month. The suit initially requested $100,000 plus interest from the date of the accident.
The suit initially was filed against Blackwell as well, but he was dismissed as a defendant to the case.
Another lawsuit related to the same wreck is shown as dismissed in online court records. Steven Stogsdill, a passenger in the vehicle that was rear-ended, sued for $150,000.