Texas Water Utility Sued Over School Bus Wreck

A water utility in east Texas is facing a lawsuit because one of its employees was in a wreck with a school bus last year.

Texarkana Water Utilities (TWU), the city of Texarkana, and the driver are listed as defendants in the lawsuit, TXK Today reported. The driver was on the job at the time of the crash, driving a utility truck, the report said.

The suit, filed in October “on behalf of KeErica Turner by Little Rock lawyer Jake Logan, alleges TWU driver Zackery Mangum ran a red light at approximately 4 p.m., Aug. 20, 2015, on East 24th Street. Mangum allegedly caused a Texarkana, AK, School District bus to strike the side of the Ford F-150 owned by TWU when he ran the red light,” the Texarkana Gazette reported.

“The suit accuses Mangum of negligence for allegedly running the light, operating the truck at an unsafe speed and allegedly being an inattentive driver. The suit claims Texarkana, Texas, and TWU are liable as Mangum's employer,” the Gazette reported.

The suit seeks compensation for Turner’s injuries, medical expenses, mental anguish, pain and suffering, as well as attorney fees and court costs. Circuit Judge Brent Haltom was assigned to the case.

Four students were treated for minor injuries in the aftermath of the crash, according to a previous Texarkana Gazette report. The were 14 students on the school bus.

Police said the initial crash between the TWU truck and school bus resulted in an additional collision involving a car with three occupants, the report said.

To read more about issues concerning water utility employees visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.