School busses are usually just a normal form of transportation to and from school, but on one particularly hot day in California a school bus became Hun Joon “Paul” Lee’s tomb. The autistic child was left unattended on Armando Abel Ramirez’s school bus for seven hours. The temperature inside was approaching 100 degrees when Paul Lee was found unconscious on the floor. Police officers who arrived shortly after said that Lee died at the scene.
The circumstances surrounding Paul Lee’s death are distasteful, to say the least. Armando had plans to meet one of his coworkers after he had finished his route. The coworker in question was his romantic partner, and when Armando’s phone was searched, sexually explicit messages were found during the time he was driving his route. It was likely that he was distracted by the messages while he should have been making sure that all the children had exited the bus.
The company in charge of the bus drivers, Pupil Transportation Cooperative, has stated that employees are not allowed to have relationships with coworkers. However, shortly after Paul Lee’s case was settled, PTC’s policies changed and the changes were never publicly released.
Although Paul Lee is no longer with us, his case has brought attention to child safety on school busses. A new law was passed in his honor, the Paul Lee School Bus Safety Law. This law will install an alarm in school busses that must be turned off before the engine can be shut off. The alarm is installed in the back of the bus, making bus drivers walk through the bus and check for any children before they turn off the engine and leave the bus unattended.
Lee’s family received a settlement of 23.5 million dollars because of the neglectful actions of the bus driver. The money won’t ever replace their child, but they take solace in the fact that thanks to the new law in place, no family will have to go through their pain again.
If you or a member of your family was severely injured or killed because of the negligence of someone else, contact Alexander Law Group, LLC. Our exceptional personal injury lawyers will be sure you get the maximum compensation possible. Call 888.777.1776, or contact us online.
