The estate of an 8-year-old boy killed on the first day of school is suing the Traverse City Area Public Schools and others in federal court.
Jayson "J.J." Hoogeveen was waiting for the school bus when he was struck and killed by another vehicle.
The bus stop was in the middle of a parking lot in the Kings Court mobile home park, where he and his family lived.
The family’s attorney, Joseph Ceglarek of the Sam Bernstein Law Firm, said there had been complaints about the dangers of the bus stop’s location after it was moved into the active lot.
"When you see that systemic policy that was in place to have an indifference towards the civil rights (and) the protection of these children who are going to school from King's Court, that screams to me (that it's) a federal question,” he said during a news conference on Friday.
Ceglarek says he hopes the case "shines a light on all of these transportation issues."
The lawsuit seeks $200 million in damages, safer bus stops and the establishment of a trust fund for students who live in Kings Court. The filing names TCAPS, the mobile home park, the driver of the vehicle and its owner.
"TCAPS is always saddened at any tragedy involving students and families in our community," said a statement from district Superintendent John VanWagoner. "In regard to this particular case, we have no comment with pending litigation."
