$1M lawsuit filed by teacher in recent school bus crash

$1M lawsuit filed by teacher seriously injured in school bus crash with concrete truck in Texas late last month. 

The accident claimed the life of a 5-year-old on the bus and an adult in a car behind the bus. Since the crash, the concrete truck driver, 42-year-old Jerry Hernandez, has admitted to consuming illicit substances and getting very little sleep prior to the crash. 

The hiring practices of Hernandez’s employer, FJM Concrete, have come into question after it came to light that Hernandez had previously failed drug tests and had already been prohibited from driving three times since 2020 due to positive drug tests.

Deborah Serna, a Tom Green Elementary School teacher is now filing a lawsuit as a result of her injuries sustained in the crash. Serna broke at least four bones in her back during the incident, forcing her to take time off work for the foreseeable future. She is seeking $1 million to cover the current medical expenses and future medical care. 

“Of all the 25 years of cases I’ve brought for families where hiring practices have hurt people, this is the worst by far,” said trial Attorney Sean Breen. Breen believes that Hernandez should not have been allowed to drive a truck, and points out that Hernandez used a mugshot as his work ID photo, reported NBC 15.

“The level of negligence and gross negligence by the Defendants in this case truly shocks the conscience,” the lawsuit states.