There isn’t a settlement that could compensate for the loss of your two-year-old daughter. However, Audryana Gonzalez’s family will use the $1 million settlement they have just received to set up a trust for her older sister, who was at the scene of the bus accident and saw Audryana die.

The toddler was with her mother outside their home in Sanger, California, picking up her older sister from the school bus stop. As her sister alighted on the other side of the street from the house, little Audryana darted in front of the bus. She was killed instantly in the bus accident.

The family filed a lawsuit against the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission for compensation for Audryana’s death. The crux of the lawsuit was that the bus accident would not have occurred if the older sister had been dropped off on the same side of the street as their house. Instead, she was dropped on the other side of the street, necessitating her mother and sister to cross the street to pick the girl up.

In fact, as part of he settlement, the Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission agreed to make sure a student enrolled in headstart would be dropped on the same side of the street as her home. In the absence of this, a driver would take the child across to the other side, and drop her at her doorstep. This new rule would be applicable to children below the eighth grade.

Attorneys for the family say this was the main reason the lawsuit was filed – so that parents of headstart students could be aware that they could insist that their children be dropped on the same side of the street. As the attorney for the Gonzalez says, it is the right of the parents to demand that their child be dropped on the same side of the street.

The Fresco County Economic Opportunities Commission was unprepared to admit any responsibility or share any blame for Audryana’s death. In fact, the settlement only came a few days before the case was due to go to trial. The family was first offered $250,000, and when they refused, the amount was raised by another three quarters of a million dollars.

Audryana’s death has brought an important issue to light. The headstart program provides for children from economically disadvantaged sections of society to receive special coaching to prepare them for learning by the time they get to age 6. Students who use these programs are entirely dependant on the system to get them to and from their schools safe and sound. It’s a tragedy when the system fails to take their safety concerns seriously. Audryana’s family deserves every cent of their settlement.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bus accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.