The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC.
$10 Million Settlement for Students Injured in Anaheim Hills School Bus Crash
(Lack of School Passenger Safety Ignored)
Nearly 3 years after the tragic bus crash occurred in Anaheim Hills, attorneys for five injured middle school children and the Orange Unified School District reached a settlement totaling $10 million.
“Despite delay and denial, we successfully held the school district accountable for having a medically impaired employee behind the wheel of a vehicle that was transporting the clients’ most precious cargo, their children. OUSD ignored a number of clear warning signs and opportunities to look after the safety of its students. They delayed justice but faced with a jury they reluctantly accepted liability.”
-Michael Penn, Esq. (Aitken Aitken Cohn)
The $10 million settlement was reached on January 23, 2017, just as trial was set to begin in the consolidated civil case of Tyler Taing et al. v. Orange Unified School District (lead case). The consolidated case consisted of five separate lawsuits brought by parents of the five children who suffered a range of neurologic, orthopedic, and emotional injuries as a result of the OUSD school bus crash. The OUSD school bus was transporting 11 children home from El Rancho Middle School on April 24, 2014 when the crash occurred. OUSD school bus driver, Gerald Rupple, lost consciousness prior to the collision and veered off an Anaheim Hills road and crashed into a tree.
Aitken Aitken Cohn attorneys Michael Penn, Darren Aitken, and Christopher Aitken represented the lead plaintiff Tyler Taing, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and obtained a $4million settlement. They also represented passenger JoHanna Iversen. Attorneys Katherine Harvey-Lee and Nicole Maldonado with the law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman PC represented Rasneek Singh and Juliana Larosa. Arun Dayalan of the Shawn Steel Law Firm represented Delaney Yourstone.
The criminal case brought by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office against OUSD school bus driver Gerald Rupple remains ongoing with an upcoming pre-trial hearing set for January 31 and a jury trial scheduled for February 17.
For further information, contact Michael Penn Esq. or Darren Aitken Esq. at (714) 434-1424.
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