Family files lawsuit after deadly school bus crash in Carroll County

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The family of one of the two Clarksville children killed in a bus crash in Carroll County last week has filed a lawsuit against the school district and bus driver. Kenwood Middle School eighth graders Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson were killed on their way to a field trip in Jackson around noon last Friday at the intersection of Highway 70 and Cedar Grove. The crash involved three vehicles: the Montgomery County school bus, a Chevrolet Trailblazer and Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck. Officials are still investigating what led to the crash. There were reportedly 25 students on the bus and five adults. Arianna and Zoe were pronounced dead on the scene. Zoe's parents filed the lawsuit in Carroll County through law firm Morgan & Morgan, which provided the documentation to News 2. "It's truly any parents worst nightmare," Morgan & Morgan attorney, Susan Neal Wiley, said. “They are grieving, they are hurting, and wondering why and how this could've happened when they trusted the school system to keep their daughter safe.” The lawsuit claims the bus driver veered from her lane of travel, over the double yellow line, and hit the TDOT dump truck head-on. The suit states the driver was negligent, fatigued, distracted and failed to exercise "due care in operation of the school bus she was driving" and asserts the Clarksville Montgomery County School System is liable for her negligence. The plaintiffs believe the driver failed to exercise due care, did not obey traffic laws and failed to maintain the proper lane. The lawsuit claims Clarksville Montgomery County School System failed to adequately assess the driver's "fitness for employment as a school bus driver" prior to her employment and did not offer adequate training. "The allegations regarding the school bus driver and the county are based on the videos that are circulating on social media that make plain, that the school bus driver crossed the double yellow center lines, after drifting and it's clear that something went wrong and that driver and as well as the county is responsible for that," Wiley said. Zoe's parents are asking for a jury to hear the case and compensation in an amount determined by the jury. The maximum amount that can be awarded in the state of Tennessee is $5 million. “No amount of money is going to bring Zoe Davis back to her family, this lawsuit is about answers and the hope that this community can understand what happened and how something as tragic as this event can be prevented in the future," Wiley said. The parents released a statement through Morgan & Morgan, which reads, “Our hearts are broken and our lives have been shattered by the loss of our daughter, who was bright, funny and one-of-a-kind. We have filed this lawsuit to uncover how this could have happened, and to ensure that no other parents have to endure this unimaginable tragedy.” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Susan Neal Wiley also issued a statement: “Our clients suffered the devastating loss of their daughter in this tragic incident. Families place their trust in school transportation systems to ensure their children’s safety each day. We are conducting a thorough investigation to determine how this occurred, and are committed to holding those responsible accountable for their negligence while pursuing justice on behalf of our clients.” Follow these links if you would like to donate to the GoFundMe pages set up to support Arianna and Zoe’s families.  No additional details were immediately released.