GRANTSVILLE – Seven lawsuits have been filed related to a March 2024 Calhoun County school bus crash that injured 19 students.
The lawsuits were filed May 2 in Calhoun Circuit Court against Jeffrey Brannon and the Calhoun County Board of Education.
Attorney Ben Salango said more lawsuits will be filed soon.
Brannon
| WVRJA photo
“This is a tragic case that was absolutely preventable,” Salango told The West Virginia Record. “Nineteen children were severely injured by the irresponsible actions of the defendants.
“We intend to thoroughly investigate to make sure those who were responsible are held accountable."
Three students were hospitalized when Brannon crashed a school bus on W.Va. Route 16 with students from Calhoun County Middle-High School. His blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.127 by State Police, but the complaints say the preliminary State Police test showed his level at 0.161, which is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Last month, the 55-year-old Brannon of Big Bend pleaded guilty to three counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury and 16 counts of child neglect creating risk of serious bodily injury or death. He will be sentenced June 12.
His plea agreement states that each count of DUI causing serious bodily injury carries a possible sentence of 2-10 years in prison, while each count child neglect creating risk of serious bodily injury or death carries a possible sentence of 1-5 years.
In the seven complaints filed Friday, the names of the students are not used. Only initials are used to identify them.
According to those seven complaints, Brannon crashed the bus into a ditch causing injuries to the seven students. The injuries listed in the complaints range from bruising, soreness and headaches to anxiety, concussions, chest trauma, a broken foot, a right elbow fracture, an enlarged spleen and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.
Three of the students had to miss part or all of the 2024 high school baseball season because of their injuries and became terrified of riding the school bus, requiring personal transportation to and from school. One of those students had to miss half of the 2024 football season and the 2025 baseball season as well.
Another student now requires the use of a knee brace for football and basketball practice and games. Two students had to miss several band practices, and of of those also had to miss the Honor Band Banquet.
The plaintiffs accuse the defendants of negligent, reckless misconduct and violation of statute. They seek compensatory damages with taxable court costs and expenses.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation said Brannon was traveling southbound on W.Va. 16 negotiating a left-hand curve when the right-side tires left the pavement and entered the ditch. When the front tire struck the end of a driveway culvert, the bus went airborne and began to rotate counterclockwise while rolling to the right.
The front of the bus landed back in the southbound lane and continued to rotate and roll, coming to rest on its right side across both lanes of the road, which is a two-lane, two-way roadway with a 55-mph speed limit.
At the time of the crash, the NTSB says it was daylight, the weather was clear and the roadway was dry.
Ben Salango and Patrick Salango of Salango Law in Charleston are representing the plaintiffs.
Calhoun Circuit Court case numbers 25-C-5 through 25-C-11