Opening statements were made Wednesday in the Fort Pierce jury civil trial seeking $30 million in damages in the death of 9 year old Aaron Beauchamp.
The school bus Aaron was riding in was slammed by a sod truck at Midway and Okeechobee roads in 2012. The bus driver, Albert Hazen was cited for failure to yield and was fined $1,000 and had his license suspended for six months.
The family’s attorney claims the district’s culture of rushing bus drivers and adding routes added to the crash.
The school district’s lawyer claims faulty brakes in the sod truck that hit the bus were part of the cause of the deadly crash that killed Beauchamp and injured 16 others.
The jury viewed the camera recording of the crash from inside the school bus.
Testimony is scheduled to continue today.
