The father of a girl who was killed after she jumped out of a bus is suing Galveston ISD .

Family disputes that fatal leap was intentional

The father of a 13-yearold girl who died after apparently jumping from a moving school bus last year has filed a civil suit against the Galveston Independent School District.

Darrell Thomas filed the suit Tuesday in the 56th District Court on behalf of himself and the estate of his daughter, My’Kayla Thomas.

The 13-year- old girl died Dec. 9 at a Galveston hospital, two days after she was critically injured when she jumped from a moving school bus on the Gulf Freeway.

At the time of her death, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said investigators had reviewed video from the bus security camera and determined that the teen had intentionally jumped.

‘We want more details’

The family, however, disputes that assessment, said Thomas’ attorney, Eraka Watson of The Childs Law Firm in Houston. She requested the surveillance video but the district refused to provide it, Watson said.

An incident report she received from the Galveston County legal department had most i nformation redacted, including names of the driver and other students on the bus, who are potential witnesses, Watson said.

“Any parent would find it unacceptable for someone to say your child jumped off a bus and that parent is expected to say, ‘ OK,’ ” Watson said Thursday. “We want more details.”

Trochesset, who saw the surveillance video, said Thursday he stands by his description and the investigators’ conclusion that the act was intentional.

“She opened that door once, and the alarm went off,” the sheriff recalled. “Another student walked back and secured the door and went back and sat in his seat. She opened it a second time, and that’s when she leaped out, almost like she rolled out.”

The sheriff, a father of three, said he could understand a parent wanting to know what happened but said, “Is that really something a parent wants to witness? It’s a sad and tragic situation.”

The school district and Galveston County Legal Department did not respond Thursday to requests for comment.

According to the petition, My’Kayla was assaulted by other students on the bus, which transported specialneeds students.

This particular bus was not to be operated without the presence of an adult aide and both video cameras working, the suit states.

“Had these (Galveston Independent School District) employees not been negligent in operating the school bus without the extra adult aide, or by making sure the cameras were operational and/or reviewed daily, these assaults would not have occurred,” the petition states.

Thomas alleges in the suit that, after his daughter died, he learned that “multiple assaults occurred for several days consecutively without any report to administration until this last deadly incident.”

Driver requested aide

The petition states that the driver had requested an adult aide and should not have been allowed to operate the bus without the aide.

According to Trochesset’s account of the i ncident, My’Kayla was among a group of students who boarded t he bus about 3:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at an alternative school in Texas City.

When My’Kayla and another girl began fighting, the driver pulled over and put My’Kayla in the back and the other girl in the front.

The bus was headed southbound on Interstate 45 at about 55 or 60 mph when the rear emergency door opened, setting off an alarm inside the bus, according to the sheriff ’s account. The alarm caused other students to look back and see My’Kayla jump from the bus, the sheriff said.

She was severely injured by the fall but was not hit by other cars, authorities said.

My’Kayla began attending Galveston schools and riding the school bus in first grade, according to the suit.