School bus driver sues for injuries caused by accident from missed stop sign

A Chester County school bus driver says she experienced serious injuries when a delivery driver for a heavy equipment supply company blew threw a stop sign and collided into the side of her bus, according to a personal injury suit filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Kathleen Tavoni, of Kennett Square, Pa., seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $75,000 from the driver, Jeremy Augustynski, and his employer, Massachusetts-based Ahearn Equipment, for negligence that allegedly caused severe injuries. Her husband, Steven, has also filed suit for loss of consortium with his wife as she recovers from the accident.

According to the suit, Tavoni was driving children home from school on Oct. 2, 2012, traveling northbound on Penn Green Road in New Garden Township in Chester County, Pa. As she approached the intersection with Laurel Heights Road, Augustynski allegedly missed the stop sign while driving westbound, t-boning into the school bus. The bus spun around and came to a stop facing the opposite direction, the suit says.

The complaint says that Tavoni suffered from back injuries, a herniated disc, nerve damage, contusions on her left shoulder, and general pain and mental anguish. She has been forced to undergo continuous medical treatment and therapy during her recovery, and may continue to do so for an indefinite amount of time, according to the claim. At the same time, her earning power has diminished as Tavoni has been unable to complete her normal work duties.

Tavoni accuses Augustynski of operating his vehicle in a reckless manner and disregarding posted signs. His failure to apply the brakes and maintain his vehicle under proper control placed the plaintiff into danger, the complaint says. Ahearn Equipment has also been blamed for employing Augustynski and not ensuring he operates company vehicles safely.

The plaintiff is represented by the Law Offices of J. Patrick Holahan, II & Associates.

The federal case ID number is 2:14-cv-05294-MMB.