Bus company settles fifth Woodmore lawsuit
The bus company involved in the Nov. 2016 deadly crash has settled a fifth case in Hamilton County Circuit Court.
Durham School Services will pay $250,000, plus another $73,000 in medical expenses, to a 9-year-old boy who suffered a concussion, a broken arm, cuts to his liver and permanent scarring on his arms in the Nov. 21 crash on Talley Road in Brainerd that killed six Woodmore Elementary School students.
The boy’s older sister, Zoie Nash, was one of the children killed in the crash.
His family will receive periodic payments until he turns 32, records show. Circuit Court Judge J.B. Bennett approved the settlement Dec. 19.
“We got it resolved, which is nice,” said attorney Lloyd Levitt, who represented the boy’s family. “This resolves his claims and
we’ll leave him with money when he’s ready to go to college.”
Durham School Services, the private company that provides the majority of the county’s school buses, faces about 30 pending lawsuits in connection with the crash, along with its driver, Johnthony Walker.
The Dec. 19 settlement releases Walker, Durham and Durham’s
parent company, National Express, from the responsibility of paying any more medical bills for the boy or his family.
So far, the company has settled four other cases, including one with the boy’s mother, Misti Nash.
In Hamilton County Criminal Court, 25-year-old Walker faces 34 criminal charges from the crash, including six counts of vehicular homicide, and is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 27. Walker made bond in October and is on supervised release.
Prosecutors recently said Walker received a phone call at the time of the crash and was speeding when he lost control of bus 366 around 3:20 p.m. that day.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@times freepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.