Two Wood Co. women claim injuries from school bus wreck

PARKERSBURG - Two Wood County women say they were injured by a school bus driver’s inattentiveness.

The Wood County Board of Education is named as a defendant in separate personal injury suits filed by Sharon R. Williams and Shana Joy Yopp in Wood Circuit Court on March 15. In their respective complaints, Williams and Yopp, both Parkersburg residents, say they were injured when a school bus collided with their car two years ago.

According to their suits, Williams was driving her 2000 Toyota Camry with Yopp as a passenger along 16th Ave. in Parkersburg on March 15, 2011. At an unspecified time, Williams attempted a turn onto Park Ave., the suit claims.

About the time Williams made her turn, the suits say Daniel R. Stephens was driving a 2000 Bluebird bus northbound on Park Ave. When he attempted a turn onto 16th Ave., the suits say he collided with Williams’ vehicle on Yopp’s side.

In their suits, the women allege Stephens failed to yield them the right-of-way. As a result of the collision, the women allege they’ve incurred, among other things, “pain, discomfort, headaches… [and] medical expenses in a large amount.”

Both seek unspecified damages, interest and court costs and are represented by Parkersburg attorney William O. Merriman. The cases are assigned to Judge J.D. Beane.

Wood Circuit Court, case numbers 13-C-99 (Williams) and 100 (Yopp)