The family of a student with special needs from Orland Park who allegedly was hit in the face by a bus driver is suing the driver and the company that employed her.
Linda Bell, 63, pleaded guilty in April to one count of battery in the Oct. 7, 2016, incident aboard a bus contracted by Orland Park District 135, according to court records.
The Alsip woman, who also was charged with aggravated battery at the time, was sentenced to two years probation and 30 days in Cook County jail custody, time that was satisfied by electronic home monitoring, court records state.
The lawsuit alleges Bell, an employee of Sunrise Southwest LLC, and the bus company committed battery and negligence when the then 4-year-old child was allegedly struck.
A message left with Sunshine Southwest, which has offices in the south suburbs, was not returned on Monday.
Lawyer Dan Breen said the boy, identified as “John Doe” in the lawsuit, suffered permanent injury from the alleged assault. It is unclear whether the driver currently works for the company, Breen said.
Bell was not supposed to be the only adult on the bus that day, Breen said.
“As we understand, they’re supposed to have a driver and an assistant. From our investigation, it appears there was no assistant,” Breen said.
A teacher allegedly overheard Bell tell the child she was “sorry” for hitting him as Bell helped him off the bus at one of the district’s schools, according to Orland Park police. The name of the school was not given by police.
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The teacher had noticed the student was crying when the child was helped off the bus, police said. Red marks allegedly were present on the child’s cheek, according to police. School administrators were then alerted before the authorities were contacted, police said.
Video of the incident allegedly shows the bus driver helping the boy put a shoe back on before striking him in the face, police said.
The bus driver also appears to be yelling at the child, Breen said.
“It wasn’t like he was throwing a tantrum. She was trying to help him with his shoe and didn’t get it on right away,” Breen said.
The lawsuit is seeking damages in the amount of $30,000 for the battery count, $30,000 for alleged assault and $50,000 for alleged negligence, plus the cost of litigation.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.