Family Hires Lawyer After Houston Bus Crash

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HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - A school bus plunged off of a highway overpass in Houston after being hit by a car driven by a teacher Tuesday, killing two students and seriously injuring three other people, police and school officials said.

Now, family members of one of the victims is planning to sue.

Mariya Alyss Johnson, 17, died at the scene, while Janecia Chatman, 14, died at a hospital, according to the Houston Independent School District and the girls' families. The driver and the other passengers on the bus -- siblings Brandon and Lakeshia Williams, both 17 -- are hospitalized, the district said.

Their injuries are not believed to be life threatening, according to a police statement.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragedy," Superintendent Terry Grier said in a statement. "I ask all of the HISD community to join me in praying for all of those involved."

Police spokesman Victor Senties said that investigators believe a car struck the front driver's side of the bus after swerving to avoid another vehicle during morning rush hour traffic. The bus then lurched to the right, struck a guardrail and toppled to the road below, Senties said.

The car that hit the bus was being driven by a teacher who works in the district. She was also injured in the crash, according to the school district. Officials declined to say where she worked, but said that she does not teach on the campus where the crash victims attended school.

Senties said that it is too early to determine if any charges will be filed in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Photos and video of the crash show debris scattered around the yellow bus, its front end heavily damaged and its roof caved in.

The students were being transported to Furr High School, which also operates a charter school. The girls who died each attended one of those schools. School officials said that the bus was near the end of its route, so it did not have many students on board.

Investigators are trying to determine if cameras along the highway or nearby could reveal how the crash happened, Senties said. Footage from the bus' seven security cameras also is being reviewed.

Johnson's family has hired an attorney as they pursue a wrongful death case. Family members said that Mariya used to complain that the bus driver could not speak English very well, but they never did anything about it.

School officials said that the bus driver, Louisa Pacheco, has been with the district for about three years and has a clean driving record. Records show that the bus last underwent a maintenance inspection in June.

The bus was purchased new in 2008 and was equipped with lap belts. It was not immediately clear if students were wearing the lap belts. Nathan Graf, the district's general manager for transportation, said that it is optional for students to wear the belts because enforcing their use is too difficult for drivers.

"The State of Texas mourns the loss of Texas students today in a tragedy no parent should ever have to experience," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.

Houston operates the largest public school district in Texas with about 215,000 students. The district has about 950 buses on the road each day, transporting 34,000 students.

Officials said that the city has not seen a fatal school bus accident in at least 15 years.

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