4 Washington Students Hurt in Bus Crash Awarded $1.4M

A jury has awarded four former marching band students at the University of Washington more than $1.4 million after they were injured in a bus crash on their way to a football competition with rival Washington State University.

Students Alexia Brown, Edith Myers-Power, Monica Mursch and Jacob Koreen sued the charter bus company MTRWestern, KOMO-TV reported.

Herrmann Law Group, which represented the four students, said there was ice on the road and that the bus driver failed to slow down, lost control and crashed. The bus did not have seatbelts.

The marching band students were headed to the 2018 Apple Cup in Pullman when the charter bus rolled onto its side near the town of George, about 150 miles from the students’ destination. Authorities said 45 of the 56 people aboard the bus were injured.

The four students who filed the lawsuit will each receive a portion of the $1,482,2000.

Brown, a saxophone player, was awarded the largest amount of $569,000. Attorneys said she was ejected from the bus during the crash and suffered multiple fractures to her spine and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Myers-Power, also a saxophone player, received surgery on her shoulder and was unable to march again. Monica Mursch, also a saxophone player, broke her clavicle and Jacob Koreen, a baritone player, suffered bruises, lacerations and PTSD.

“After this long fight for justice, we are pleased the jury agreed this was a horrible crash,” Anthony Marsh, of Hermann Law Group, told KCPQ-TV. “These four students survived an astounding tragedy. We hope anyone on the bus still fighting for justice will keep fighting until they get what is fair.”

“This was a tragic accident on all accounts, out hearts go to those who were affected by this event,” MTRWestern President Jeremy Butzlaff told The Associated Press in an email on Friday. “Then, as of now, we remain steadfast in our commitment to safety and we wish these students all the very best.”