Damage Cap Upheld in Fatal 2015 North Dakota School/Bus Train Crash

March 21, 2018

The North Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a $500,000 cap on damages in a 2015 fatal school bus-train crash near Larimore.

The bus driver and a student died when the Larimore school bus with 13 students collided with a BNSF Railway train on Jan. 5, 2015, at a crossing east of the town. Ten other students were hospitalized.

Investigators determined the crash was the result of driver error.

The parents of several students who were involved in a lawsuit against the school district appealed a district court ruling that upheld the damage cap.

The Supreme Court ruled the damage cap for claims against political subdivisions is constitutional.