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A passenger on the Megabus that crashed killing two passengers and injuring 17 others, has filed a lawsuit against the bus company and its driver, Eric Naughton of Westville.
Kimberly Clay, of Manhattan, claims she suffered incapacitating injuries after Naughton was allegedly speeding.
According to her lawsuit, filed on Jan. 24 in Superior Court of Middlesex County, Clay says Naughton "operated the subject bus in a reckless, willful and/or wanton matter, in a callous disregard for the safety and well-being of its passengers, so as to cause the bus to lose control at a high rate of speed and overturn."
Three people, including the bus driver, were seriously hurt. Fourteen others were injured when the bus carrying 22 passengers flipped shortly before 7 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2022, near the Thomas Edison Service Area entrance ramp in Woodbridge, as reported by Daily Voice.
Naughton, the 57-year-old bus driver, lost a leg in the crash, according to a lawsuit Naughton’s attorney filed in October 2023. Naughton’s lawsuit says "the 2015 Van Hool double deck coach bus suffered a catastrophic failure of the front right tire," causing him to lose control of the bus. The bus crashed into the guardrail and overturned, ultimately leading to the amputation of his right leg.
Clay's lawsuit goes on to claim that "the upper management of Coach USA" and its affiliates "actually participated in and/or displayed a willful indifference to the wrongful conduct" of its employees including Naughton and its chief executive officer.
Dan Rodriguez, vice president of public affairs for Coach USA and Megabus, said Thursday, Feb. 29 that the companies do not comment on pending ongoing litigation.
Naugton’s attorney, Zachary Green of Voorhees, could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday on any of the pending litigation.
Clay’s lawsuit is at least the third filed in New Jersey Superior Court since the wreck. In addition to Naughton's suit, the daughter of Cecilia Kiyanitza, 66, who died, sued Naughton and the companies involved alleging negligence in June 2023.
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