Jury splits blame in boy's death

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A Newton County Circuit Court jury has awarded $500,000 in damages to the parents of a Neosho boy who died beneath the wheels of a school bus.

The jury reached its conclusion Friday in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by John and Terri Wright against the Neosho School District and the estate of bus driver Bill Hoover, who died Feb. 7.

The Wrights sought a total of $8 million in compensation after the Dec. 16, 2004, death of their 6-year-old son, Jacob Wright.

Jacob and his 8-year-old brother had just gotten off the bus when Jacob went back toward the bus and fell as it pulled away from the curb. It was unclear why the boy returned to the bus.

Because the jury found Jacob Wright 50 percent responsible for his death, the jury's $1 million award was reduced to $500,000 by the court.

Jeremiah Wright, who was 8 at the time, witnessed the incident. Through four full days of testimony, jurors heard that Jeremiah had suffered from symptoms of chronic depression and post-traumatic stress disorder since the accident.

Of the $8 million award sought by the Wrights, $5 million was for economic compensation for the death of Jacob and $3 million was for trauma suffered by Jeremiah. The jury awarded the plaintiff nothing in the second verdict.

Before reading the verdict, Associate Circuit Judge Kevin Selby told the jury that he has never worked with a more diligent jury. "You have served this community and the parties well," said Selby.

The Wrights had alleged that Hoover had a diminished capacity to drive a bus because of his age, and diminished vision and hearing. But school officials testified that he had passed all of his tests, had a good record and did what he was supposed to have done when the accident occurred.