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Bus Crash Road Block: A WAFF 48 News special report

By Elizabeth Gentle - bio | email

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - Three years ago, a school bus carrying Lee High School students plunged over the interstate, killing four students and injuring dozens more.

Since then, lawsuits have been filed and settled in this case.

But one important document remains open. That is the NTSB's report of what really happened.

The question remains for the families affected, "are we any closer to getting answers?"

Its been nearly three years since Lee High School bus number 5037 careened off Interstate 565 crashing to the ground below.

The bus was carrying students to the tech school for class.

40 students were on board and four of them died.

Shortly after the wreck, victims families began filing lawsuits.

Laidlaw Transit, the bus driver, and the Lee High School student driving the orange Toyota Celica blamed for causing the accident were named as defendants.

Attorney Mark McDaniel represented two of the families in wrongful death suits and dozens others in personal injury claims.

"The facts have been horrific for these people. Their lives have been changed and altered forever," said McDaniel.

Laura Collier's only child Felicia was on the school bus that crashed.

She vividly recounts that day.

"I was at the store with my mom and my sister. My husband called and asked if I had heard from Felicia. I told him no. He said there has been a bus accident," she said.

"She always had her phone on her. I dialed the number. I couldn't get her. I panicked. It was like darkness. I remember screaming and my mom trying to hold me down," she continued.

"Once I got there it was terrible. People coming from everywhere. I heard sirens and everything. It was like a nightmare. I've never seen anything like that in my life," remembered Collier.

Frantic, Collier went straight to the hospital.

Felicia was alive, but her prognosis was grim.

"She was in bad shape. They didn't think she would live," said Collier.

Felicia's jaw was broken, her lung punctured. There were gashes in her head and the bottom of her eye was torn away.

Despite her life threatening injuries, Felicia pulled through.

WAFF 48 News was there when she came from the hospital in time to celebrate her 18th birthday, when she graduated from high school, and started cosmetology college.

Today Felicia's a fully licensed beautician.

"Every time I look into her face now it helps me a lot. I see the beauty in her. Thank God she is still here with us," said Collier.

The Colliers and other families of students on that school bus still have unanswered questions.

For one, what are the NTSB's findings, when will they release their final report, and why has it taken so long?

"Deep down inside I feel like we should know what happened on that bus," said Collier.

NTSB Public Affairs Officer Keith Holloway sent a statement saying.

"The safety board has investigated and is still investigating tragic accidents that have occurred since the Huntsville bus crash. Other accidents have required much of our time and resources."

"It is anticipated that the final crash report will be completed by the end of the year or beginning of next year," Holloway continued.

In the meantime, November 20th will mark another grim anniversary of that cold fall day that took the lives of four promising young girls.

A tattered and worn memorial is still attached to the fence just a few hundred feet from where the bus landed.

For Felicia Collier, she has good days and bad.

She's anxious to move forward with her life.

Even though its been three years, she is still too emotional to talk about the horrific tragedy that left her scared both physically and emotionally.

Felicia will undergo surgery in January to lift her eye.

She is working full time at Upgrade You styling salon.

As for the NTSB report, that is something WAFF 48 News is staying on top of.

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