SALYERSVILLE – As of a court hearing held on Thursday, October 19, three more juveniles have been added to the bus wreck suits, with now 14 of the 18 students on board during the November 14, 2022, Rt. 40 bus wreck now represented in the cases.
As some background, on Monday, November 14, just after 7:20 a.m., first responders were called to a bus wreck on KY Rt. 40 near the Tackett Bottom, where a Magoffin County Schools bus, driven by Wanda Bailey, went over an embankment, striking a utility pole and landing on its passenger side. All occupants and the driver were taken to hospitals for treatment, with seven students and the driver remaining hospitalized for at least a week. Many of the students and the driver sustained serious injuries, some which are reportedly expected to have long-term effects from the wreck.
The lawsuits related to the bus wreck generally allege that the bus driver, Wanda Bailey, “operated the school bus in such a negligent manner, grossly negligent manner, negligence per se, and/or reckless disregard for the lives and safety of her passengers or others, as to cause the school bus to leave the roadway, strike a telephone pole, and tumble over a cliffside, thereby causing [students’ initials] severe bodily injuries.”
The lawsuits also note that the Magoffin County Board of Education owned and maintained the school bus involved in the wreck and employed the bus driver.
On October 19, Circuit Judge Kim Childers approved the motion to intervene by the parents of three of the children, which basically adds them to the plaintiff list in the civil suits against the driver, Wanda Bailey, and the school district. There are six civil lawsuits filed in Magoffin Circuit Court related to the wreck, with now at least 14 of the 18 students on board during the wreck represented within the lawsuits. The cases are only consolidated in terms of discovery, so it’s still multiple separate cases.
Claims made in these cases are allegations only, with no court ruling verifying or negating any of the accusations at this time. No one has been criminally charged at press time in relation to this bus wreck.
