The driver who struck the little girl, I.H., claimed that the bus' stop sign was not out, and the little girl just darted out from the front of the bus. She claimed that she didn't have time to do anything to avoid the accident.
First Student's bus driver, M.A. claimed that the little girl did not cross the street with the rest of the children, but instead, stayed on the same side of the street with her uncle, so the bus driver thought that she was going home with the uncle, and that is why the driver pulled in the stop sign. These facts were challenged by Jill and James.
On the third day of trial, the insurance carrier for the driver who hit the little girl finally offered to pay their maximum insurance policy limits of $50,000. As a result, I.H. was no longer in the case, and the trial continued against First Student only.
On September 25, 2019, a jury rendered a very large verdict for the little girl-- $2 million. The jury assessed 10% of the fault to First Student, so the net verdict was $200,000, which is still far more than the bus company had ever offered. The little girl was awarded fair justice by the jury.