This browser does not support the Video element.
Detroit schools, transportation company face lawsuit after bus driver fights 12-year-old
A lawsuit has been filed after a video captured on a bus showed a driver fighting a 7th grade girl. The girl was struck and bitten during the scuffle that the family says started after the driver told the girl to "sit her a- - down."
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Months after a brawl between a 7th-grade girl and a Detroit school bus driver was caught on camera, the girl's family has filed a lawsuit.
Attorney Lillian Diallo filed a lawsuit against Detroit Public Schools Community District and Trinity Transportation, which is contracted with the district for bus services.
"It’s a hard thing for a 12-year-old to process because we’re supposed to protect you," Diallo said.
According to the family of the girl, who attends Carver STEM Academy, was waving at her brother out of the window of the bus and the driver tapped her on the shoulder and told her ‘sit her a-- down. Her mother Krissey Coakley said the girl called the driver out for swearing and that's when she says the driver started hitting her child.
The girl was both beaten and bitten. She suffered a concussion and needed shots for the bite wound.
"She pinned her in a seat and bit her in the face; there is no justification," Diallo said.
Diallo said it is unclear if the girl approached the bus driver first after she was told to sit down. However, if she did, Diallo said that is irrelevant after what happened next.
"And how you know that the little girl was not in the wrong? She didn’t get suspended or disciplined in any way, shape, or form," she said.
The bus driver was suspended in October. It is unclear what her status is now, as the transportation company and school district have not responded to requests for comment.