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Suit settled for teen run over by bus

Former Weightman Middle School student Ellen Kramp, who in 2002 was run over by her school bus while trying to catch it, is awarded $90,000.

By JAMAL THALJI
Published March 16, 2005

A student who fell underneath the wheels of a Pasco County school bus two years ago recently settled a lawsuit against the school district for $90,000.

Mediation talks between attorneys for the School Board and the girl, 15-year-old Ellen Kramp, yielded the settlement.

The suit is the result of a Jan. 23, 2003, accident that seriously injured the teenager. It was 7 a.m. when the school bus tried to drive off from the Foamflower Boulevard stop for Weightman Middle School without Ellen, said Tampa lawyer Cally Catania, who represents the girl and her mother, Anne Kramp.

Ellen was run over while running alongside the bus, banging on the side so the driver would let her in, Catania said.

"The other kids said it felt like a speed bump," Catania told the Times on Tuesday, adding: "She had tire tracks on her clothing."

Ellen was left with multiple pelvic fractures and was bed-ridden for weeks afterward. Anne Kramp, Ellen's only parent in the area, had to care for her daughter. Kramp lost her job while doing so.

The settlement, Catania said, "covers her out-of-pocket medical bills. It (also) covers any future medical bills . . . and pain and suffering."

Gallagher Bassett Services Inc., which administers liability claims for the district, and School Board attorneys McClain and Alfonso recommended settling the case. Superintendent Heather Fiorentino approved that recommendation.

Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb must approve the late February settlement because Ellen, now a student at Wesley Chapel High School, is a minor.

School Board attorney Dennis Alfonso said they decided the school district's liability would be even greater, perhaps in six figures, if the case were tried before a jury.

Although the school district didn't admit negligence in the case, Alfonso said the severity of the girl's injuries was not in doubt.

"This is one of those cases where there was substantial exposure for the district no matter what," Alfonso said.

School Board officials and lawyers were unable to identify the bus driver Tuesday, or disclose what discipline, if any, was taken.

The girl's mother has since found another job, her attorney said. Anne Kramp could not be reached Monday for comment, but Catania said Ellen is doing fine.

"Her doctor said her fractures have healed," Catania said.

Ellen suffered multiple fractures of the pelvis and a fracture in her lower back, her attorney said. Her doctor told the girl to lie flat at home for a minimum of six weeks to heal. The family moved a hospital bed into the house for her.

Ellen's recuperation took nine weeks. Yet the girl still managed to finish her classes.

"Her mother helped her get her schoolwork and complete school," Catania said. "She didn't fail any grades."

[Last modified March 16, 2005, 01:32:17]