CLARKSVILLE, TN — A Clarksville school district is asking a federal judge to take control of $700,000 and decide how it should be divided among families affected by a deadly bus crash that killed two students and injured several others in March.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System says Tennessee law limits its total liability for the death and injury claims tied to the crash. In a new federal filing, the district says multiple claims are competing for what it considers a limited fund and asks the court to sort out distribution.
The move has set off another round of legal conflict for families who have already spent months dealing with the physical, emotional and financial fallout of the crash.
Attorneys for families say the filing shifts blame and delays answers
Attorney Rocky McElhaney, who represents six families, criticized the school system’s court action and said it treats the injured families as adversaries rather than people seeking help after a tragedy.
He said the district is effectively trying to drop the case into court and step away from the fight. McElhaney also said families are still dealing with long-term injuries, including orthopedic trauma, and that no financial award can erase the loss of a child.
According to McElhaney, his clients are also focused on safety changes, not just compensation. He said they want proper safety rails and other protections in place so a similar crash does not happen again.
Morgan and Morgan says it will fight the school system’s legal strategy
Lawyers with Morgan & Morgan are also challenging the school system’s latest filing. In a statement shared with NewsChannel 5, founder John Morgan and attorney Susan Neal Wiley said the district’s actions amount to another effort to keep families from getting answers about what happened and why.
The firm said it intends to fight the interpleader action and oppose the district’s request to pause the state court case. Its attorneys said they want to continue uncovering the facts and hold the people allegedly responsible accountable.
The statement also said the Davis family and others are rightfully angry and upset by the move. Morgan & Morgan said it will continue pursuing justice for those impacted by the crash.
District says it is not admitting liability in the crash
In its federal complaint, the school system presents a different view of the case. The district says it is facing competing claims against a limited fund and wants a judge to determine how the money should be allocated.
It also says it is not conceding liability. Beyond dividing the money, the district is asking the court to block additional litigation against it over the crash and release it from more liability tied to the incident.
The federal filing does not decide who caused the collision. Instead, it focuses on how the district says Tennessee law applies to the claims now being made against it.
March crash killed two eighth graders and injured at least seven people
The crash happened in Carroll County while a school bus was carrying Kenwood Middle School students to a class competition. The bus crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Two eighth-grade students, Zoe Davis and Arianna Pearson, were killed. At least seven people were injured, including the bus driver.
The collision quickly became a major legal and emotional blow for the families involved, with several of them describing the aftermath as overwhelming and disruptive to daily life.
Driver faced charges after grand jury declined homicide count
Bus driver Ducksworth was later indicted on charges tied to the crash, including failure to exercise due care and driving on roadways laned for traffic. A grand jury did not indict Ducksworth on a vehicular homicide charge.
Those criminal charges are separate from the civil fight now unfolding in federal and state court. The school district’s filing is about how much money may be available under state law and how claims should be handled, not about assigning criminal blame.
Families and their lawyers say they are still evaluating their options as the litigation continues. Morgan & Morgan has separately said it plans to resist the district’s effort to halt the state case.
Families say the crash changed everyday life long after the wreck
The legal dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of ongoing strain for families who say the crash changed their lives in an instant. In September, Xaviel Lugo, whose daughter was on the bus, described a schedule of constant medical visits and appointments after the wreck.
McElhaney said his clients want accountability as well as money, and that the case is about preventing another tragedy as much as addressing the damage already done. The families have spent months trying to recover while also pushing for answers through the courts.
The latest filing adds another layer to a case that is already complex, with civil claims, criminal proceedings and competing views over how responsibility and compensation should be handled.
