Lawsuit Filed Nearly Year After Student's Death
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EDINBURG – A lawsuit has been filed in the death of a child that happened nearly a year ago.
Last November, CHANNEL 5 NEWS reported how a group of Vernon Middle School students were heading to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for a field trip when the incident occurred.
Terry Gorman, a lawyer representing the family, said they are still trying to get answers on their son's death.
The eighth grader died after falling out of a Harlingen CISD bus's emergency exit door and onto highway 281 in Edinburg last November.
He suffered severe head trauma and later died at the hospital.
The bus was equipped with a surveillance system.
There were also two staff members on the bus during the incident, at the time it was unclear where they were sitting.
According to the lawsuit filed by the parents, the Hidalgo County Coroner and Edinburg Police Department later announced the death was ruled a suicide.
The family believes there wasn't evidence to support the death ruling. After their own private investigation, they believe the case wasn't handled properly.
The surveillance camera on the bus, according to the lawsuit, didn't record video of the incident, only audio.
The lawsuit also alleges the staff members on the bus were sitting at the front of the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The family also claims proper measures were not taken to insure their child's safety.
Gorman said with the lawsuit the family is trying to get more answers in their son's death.
Gorman said they also want better safety measure on school buses to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.
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