Duty of care tied firmly to bus operator

Trial Notebook

By Steven P. Garmisa

Hoey & Farina

Posted May 3, 2016 2:45 PM

The first of two questions of law that were certified for immediate appeal to the Illinois Appellate Court in a case against a school bus company, First Student Inc., for the alleged misconduct of a driver accused of sexually abusing a student was whether the corporation owed a heightened duty of care to the child.“A private contractor providing student transportation services owes the students it transports the same duty of care imposed on a common carrier — that is, the highest standard of care,” the …

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