Missouri judge rules parts companies can be sued in fatal bus crash

By Jim Greene

Published on August 29, 2005

The ruling clears the way for two critically injured students and the family of one of two motorists killed in the May 9 crash to sue General Motors Corp.'s Allison Transmission Division, Dana Corp., Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems, American Standard Co. Inc., Williams Controls Inc. and Parker-Hannifin Corp., companies believed by plaintiffs' attorneys to have been involved in the design and manufacture of parts such as the electronic throttle control and components of the air-brake system used on the bus.

The bus driver said she thinks the brakes failed in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the accident and has not issued an opinion on the matter. A spokesperson for Williams Controls said the company's gas pedal assembly has been tested and declared free of defects. None of the other companies named has issued comments in the case.

The driver was injured, along with 23 children, when the bus hit two vehicles stopped for a traffic light. The new defendants will be added to a suit already filed, which also names the Liberty School District and the bus driver.

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