WILLIAMSON - A multi-million dollar lawsuit between the driver of a tree-trimming truck and students on a Mingo County school bus the truck collided with has been settled out of court.
The settlement was announced Tuesday, with the terms staying confidential. The civil lawsuit had sought $10 million dollars against the driver, Bruce Wayne Collins.
Collins was allegedly high on cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs April 4, 2006, when the Asplundh Tree Expert Co. truck he was driving crossed the center line and collided with the bus near Lenore.
The bus was heading from Tug Valley High Scholl to the Mingo County Career and Technical College in Delbarton.
A total of 18 people were injured. The bus driver, William K. "Buddy" Hall, had to be cut from the wreckage.
"We're pleased that the victims were fully and fairly compensated," attorney Ben Salango told the Charleston Gazette. "We're also pleased that Asplundh and their driver admitted responsibility for the crash."
Mingo bus crash case settled out of court
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