The lawyers for two Baltimore students that were implicated in the beating of a passenger on a transit bus say their clients are going to sue the Maryland Transit Authority, the Baltimore school system, and the bus driver. Each boy is seeking at least $10 million in personal injury damages.
There has been no finding of guilt for the two boys. The charges against the two boys are expected to be dismissed following an agreement that they each perform 15 hours of community service. Their lawyers say they that were banned from their schools and had their bus privileges revoked without receiving due process or a hearing.
Both 15-year-old boys are not allowed to board any MTA buses. One boy is seeing a tutor, paid for by the city of Baltimore, because he cannot go to school. The other teen is now attending a different school but he cannot ride his school bus, which is an MTA bus.
Nine Robert Pool Middle School students in total had been charged with attacking Sarah Kreager and Troy Ennis after an argument about an empty bus seat.
Four of the students were found “involved” in Kreager’s assault. Another student was ruled involved in reckless conduct leading to Kreager’s serious injury. The term “involved,” in these instances, is the juvenile equivalent of being found guilty. All five of the students also were found involved in reckless conduct that seriously injured Kreager’s boyfriend Ennis.
The boys’ attorneys say that the personal injury lawsuit will cite the city’s negligence, as well as the negligence of its schools and the MTA to offer passengers safe travel. The MTA bus where the assault took place had picked up riders that weren’t students.
A 2006 General Assembly legislative audit expressed concerns that MTA bus drivers were not the most qualified.
If you believe that you suffered physical, emotional, or financial injuries or damages because of another party’s negligence in Maryland or Washington D.C., do not hesitate to contact our personal injury law firm today.
Attorneys say 2 students in bus attack case plan lawsuit, Baltimoresun.com, April 23, 2008
Baltimore Bus Beating Being Probed as Hate Crime, December 8, 2007
Related Web Resources:
Woman beaten on bus pleads guilty in drug case, Examiner.com, April 8, 2008
Free the MTA 9 – African Teens Wrongly Convicted in Baltimore, Indybayorg.com, April 18, 2008
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