ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Public Schools is facing another lawsuit over the school bus crash that sent students flying into the air after a Ford Mustang slammed into the bus. A group of parents whose children were on that bus are now suing the driver of the Mustang, APS, and the bus driver.
The video of the crash is hard to watch. Middle school students are thrown into the air when a school bus gets hit by a Mustang near Gibson Boulevard and Messina Drive in southwest Albuquerque. According to police, the school bus was driving north on Messina when Mario Perez was speeding and collided with the bus. The bus ended up on its side. Seven students on board along with Perez were sent to the hospital for injuries.
According to the criminal complaint, witnesses said it appeared Perez was driving more than 100 mph in a 40 mph zone. In the lawsuit filed last week, the plaintiffs call Perez’s actions ‘reckless’ and ‘malicious.’ They also claim the bus driver, “failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to yield to passing traffic.”
A different group of parents filed a lawsuit against the district, the bus driver, and Perez back in June. That is scheduled for a jury trial next year. A spokesperson for APS said the district does not comment on pending litigation.
Perez pled not guilty to 17 counts of child abuse. He is out of jail while awaiting trial.
