The grief and quest for accountability following a heart-wrenching tragedy has led to a wrongful death lawsuit, as the mother of a 7-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a bus on September 21, 2023, has taken legal action against the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). Wideline Derifond and Alan MacIntosh, a special administrator of the child's estate, have separately filed complaints alleging negligence on the part of the bus driver, the RTC, and public transit contractor Transdev Services, Inc., as first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The tragic incident occurred near East Charleston Boulevard and South Lamont Street; where the young girl, Larissa Lucas, was hit outside of a marked crosswalk, alongside her mother who was injured and, according to both complaints, has suffered mental anguish and permanent disabilities that impede her ability to work. The complaints, seeking damages for medical and funeral expenses as well as legal fees, name the bus driver Aniya Woodward and include allegations that she failed to obey traffic laws and safely operate the vehicle, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Addressing the specifics of the claims, FOX5 Vegas adds that the driver's alleged inattention and failure to exercise due care directly led to the crash, causing "physical and emotional damages totaling $150,000", as reported by the news outlet. The Metropolitan Police Department at the time confirmed that Lucas died at the scene while her mother, referenced in the complaint as Derifond, sustained injuries, her emotional plight reality cast against a cold backdrop of legal documents as they unfold in a District Court battle. The RTC, maintaining its stance on litigious matters, has declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit; meanwhile Transdev, enlisted in the complaint as a defendant alongside the driver and commission, did not respond to requests for comments.
