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Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools Ask Federal Judge to Divide $700,000 Cap in Deadly Bus Crash Claims
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has filed a federal complaint asking a judge to allocate a $700,000 liability cap among families and insurers tied to a March bus crash that killed two Kenwood Middle School students. The district denies fault and wants to deposit the money with the court while it continues to fight the claims.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is asking a federal judge to decide how to divide what it says is a $700,000 total liability cap among the families and insurers affected by a March school bus crash that killed two Kenwood Middle School students and injured others.
In a complaint filed Oct. 20, the district argues that state law limits what it could owe to everyone hurt or killed in the crash to $700,000 combined. It wants the court to determine who may seek money and how the fund should be split. The filing is a request for judicial guidance, not a ruling on fault.
The crash occurred March 27 in Carroll County while a CMCSS bus was carrying students. Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson died, and other students were injured.
The federal complaint names the families of children who were on the bus, including the parents of the two students who died. It also names several insurance companies and Priority Ambulance, which the district says may have claims for reimbursement.
CMCSS is asking to deposit $700,000 into the court registry, where it would stay until the judge decides how to handle the claims. The district also asks the court to bar defendants from starting or continuing proceedings in state or federal court that would affect the fund or the districtâs liability. Once the money is allocated, CMCSS asks to be discharged from further liability related to the crash.
The school system says it is not admitting fault and will continue to contest the claims.
In an earlier lawsuit brought by Zoe Davisâ parents against CMCSS and the bus driver, the district denied liability and cited governmental immunity. The new federal complaint does not resolve the negligence allegations in that case or determine the driverâs liability.
In September, a Carroll County grand jury indicted bus driver Sabrina Ducksworth on two traffic charges: failing to use due care and driving outside her lane. The charges allege she failed to keep the bus under control and struck an occupied vehicle. The grand jury did not indict her for vehicular homicide, and she has not been convicted.
The case has drawn attention to questions of accountability and compensation for families in the wake of the deadly crash, and the federal filing could shape how claims proceed in the coming months.