Bus Company Settles Spinal Injury Claim for $100,000
Eastern Bus Company agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve a parent's claim over two fractured vertebrae a child suffered on a Chestnut Hill bus route.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Special Education
Eastern Bus Company agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a parent's claim after a child suffered two fractured vertebrae in October 2025 when a school bus went over a speed hump on Beverly Road in Chestnut Hill. Both defendants deny negligence.
Why it matters
The settlement resolves a case involving a child injured during school transportation in Brookline, a situation that bears on how families and school systems in the city think about student safety on yellow bus routes. The parent alleges the company and its driver were negligent, while the defendants deny those claims.
The settlement totals $100,000, with approximately $59,410 slated for the child after legal fees, expenses and a health insurance lien. The filing is a joint petition that still requires judicial approval, and the defendants deny the negligence allegations.
The players
Eastern Bus Company
Eastern Bus Company is a private contractor that provides yellow school bus transportation for the Public Schools of Brookline.
The details
The child suffered two fractured vertebrae when the bus went over a speed hump on Beverly Road in Chestnut Hill and required physical therapy for the injuries. The parent and Eastern Bus Company, which provides yellow school bus service for the Public Schools of Brookline, filed a joint petition asking a judge to approve the settlement.
Timeline
October 2025: The bus went over a speed hump on Beverly Road and the child was injured.
November 5, 2026: The settlement petition was reported by Brookline.News.
Special Education Context
Many Massachusetts districts, including Brookline, rely on private bus contractors to transport students, which means injury claims involving those routes are handled through civil litigation between families and the operators. This settlement reflects that arrangement, in which a parent and a private company resolved a claim over a child's spinal injury in Norfolk Superior Court.
Families of students who ride yellow school buses in Brookline may want to understand how injury claims involving district transport contractors are resolved through civil petitions. The settlement's net amount to the child, after fees and a health insurance lien, is a practical consideration in cases like this.
The takeaway
Parents whose children are injured on school transportation may need to pursue claims against private contractors, and the net recovery can be substantially smaller than the headline settlement after legal costs and liens. Checking a district's transportation vendor and insurance arrangements can help families understand their options.
Further reading
For related coverage of student services in the district, see Special Education in Brookline.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Brookline.
