LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Parents of two children hurt in the deadly Carroll County bus crash last month filed suit Tuesday in Carroll Circuit court in the hopes of getting answers.
The parents and their lawyer said there's a witness who saw the bus speeding and after being kept in the dark about the accident, they quickly filed suit to get information and help preserve the evidence.
"I got a lot of toys," said young Ryleigh Hollingsworth. Ryleigh is talking about what she just got for her 4th birthday.
Her family is trying to get her life back to normal, although she can't play too rough with her brothers right now. "She's got a broken collarbone," explained her father Tommy, "But it's healing up good."
Tommy and Kristina Hollingsworth are most concerned about Ryleigh's emotions, constant nightmares, fears and questions about October 29 - the day her Carroll County Head Start bus crashed into a tree.
Ryleigh was one of nine children and two adults on the bus. 3-year-olds Ryder Deitz and Caroline Tuttle were killed.
"She asks why there was a tree in the road," Tommy Hollingsworth said of his daughter's questions, "Why did miss Tina bleed," he explains, "Miss Tina was a bus monitor."
The father said Ryleigh is also afraid of the dark and is having some separation anxiety.
The Hollingsworths, along with Erica Cruz, another parent whose child Dulce, was injured on the bus, filed suit against the bus driver, school superintendent and the board of education.
"Really, we just want to know what happened and why," Tommy Hollingsworth said.
"What these kids actually saw, is pretty devastating," said Attorney Eric Deters who represents the two families.
Deters said, "Buses just don't crash, there's always a reason." Deters believes he knows the reason, telling us, an eye witness saw bus driver Laura Reed speeding.
Deters said of the witness, "His wife turned to him when the bus had gone by right before the accident and said my goodness, that bus driver is driving awful fast!"
While the suit seeks damages, the Hollingsworths say their goal is to ensure all children in Carroll County don't have to be afraid to get on the bus.
"The future for her (Ryleigh), our kids and you know other kids riding the bus is to be safe and feel safe."
The attorney says a third parent will join this lawsuit. Other parents have their own attorneys.
The Kentucky State Police investigation is on-going.
A lawsuit is only one side of the story. WAVE 3 News called the Superintendent Lisa James to get her side but, her assistant told us she has no comment right now.
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The bus involved in the crash.
The two children who were killed in the crash.
Ryleigh and her parents.
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