HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a Houston County student killed in a bus crash is suing the bus manufacturer. It's been almost two years since 6-year-old Arlana Haynes died in the school bus crash.
Now, Angelica Rose, Haynes' mother, is suing the bus manufacturer, Blue Bird Global Corporation.
Dozier Law Firm, Beasley Allen Law Firm, and Clark, Smith & Sizemore are representing the family.
"We think the loss was preventable, the loss of their child," said attorney David Dozier.
The lawsuit was filed in Bibb County on Tuesday. It alleges the 2000 Blue Bird All American School bus's design played a role in Arlana's death. The lawsuit called the bus "unreasonably dangerous" and "defective."
It alleges the bus had no seat belts for the elementary students, was top-heavy, and was prone to rollovers.
At the time of the memorial, Arlana's parents told 13WMAZ they felt the pain of losing their daughter every day.
"Even though we are still hurting, we are still pushing forward and we are still keeping her in our memory and keeping her memory alive," said Christopher Haynes, Arlana's father.
Dozier says the family hopes the suit will bring further justice for Arlana and protect other students.
"Give a message to the manufacturer of the bus that there's measures they should be taking to ensure the safety of the occupants," said Dozier.
The lawsuit claims Blue Bird had knowledge of the danger and "consciously and deliberately kept this information without providing it to the owners, operator, and users of their vehicles."
"It's an ongoing, living, breathing animal for Angelica to deal with every day," said Dozier.
"She's still there in spirit and we can feel her sometimes even, and I just have to trust in that and know that we'll see her again one day," said Rose.
13WMAZ called and emailed Blue Bird for comment. They have not responded yet.
Dozier says the bus manufacturer has 30 days to respond to the lawsuit.
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