CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Twelve Ramah JUCO Academy football Players and Coaches involved in last month’s fatal bus crash in Hamlet, North Carolina, are suing the Chester church responsible for the bus.
Coach Bakari Rawlinson and the other 11 plaintiffs are suing the Sandy River Baptist Church, who the 1993 Motor Coach Bus was registered to.
The team chartered the bus to take them from Rock-Hill to Fayeteville on September 17th.
According to investigators, the bus crashed into a bridge column after swerving into the median and side swiping a guard rail, due to tire failure.
The plaintiffs say the crash was the result of the church’s negligence, alleging the church:
- Failed to properly maintain and service the bus
- Failed to ascertain the usability of the tires on the bus
- Failed to make proper inspection of the bus before proceeding on its journey from Rock Hill to Fayetteville
The court document also states, “As a further direct and proximate result of Defendants’ negligence, Plaintiffs, and each of them, suffered and suffers from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD)”.
Following an investigation, the Highway Patrol announced no criminal charges would be filed, but the federal investigation is ongoing.
The post-crash inspection of the commercial vehicle found Sandy River Baptist Church to be in violation of several civil laws including:
- Failure to have financial responsibility for a “For Hire” passenger carrying vehicle
- Failure to have a I.F.T.A. Fuel Tax Registration (International Fuel Tax Agreement)
- Failure to have the carrier name marked properly on both sides of the vehicle
- Failure to have the proper “apportioned registration plates
The Highway Patrol completed their investigation by confirming that the crash was a result of tire failure.
