Paramus Teacher Loses Bid To Sue Over Tragic Rt. 80 Crash: Report

PARAMUS, NJ – An East Brook Middle School teacher who survived last year’s tragic school bus crash on Route 80 lost her bid to sue the school district, according to reports.

Jessica Madonna, 28, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in January, eight months after the crash and filed a late tort claim seeking emotional damages in March against the school district and board of education, NJ.com reported.

But, her claim was dismissed last week when a Bergen County Superior Court judge ruled that too much time had passed since the crash, the newspaper reported. The judge said she did not show enough reason to justify pushing back the deadline to file a tort claim, which, in New Jersey, is within 90 days of an accident, NJ.com reported.

At least eight others involved in the accident have sued the district or board of education over the May 17, 2018 crash that killed two and injured 40 other passengers.

In May, the Paramus school bus driver, 77-year-old Hudy Muldrow, Sr. was indicted on two counts of reckless vehicular homicide and 41 counts of assault by auto in connection with the May 17 crash. Prior to the Route 80 crash, Muldrow’s license was suspended more than 14 times.

Authorities allege that Muldrow's "reckless operation" of the bus caused the deaths of teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas, and injured other passengers on the bus and the driver of the dump truck that crashed into the bus. They were on their way to Waterloo Village in Byram Township on a field trip.

Officials say Muldrow caused the crash when he cut the school bus across three lanes of Route 80 traffic in an attempt to reach an official use only turn-around point in the median.