LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Clark County School District (CCSD) and the district’s bus driver are facing a second lawsuit in three years for causing an accident that attorneys say is just the latest incident for a driver with a history of crashes and a prior DUI conviction.
According to the lawsuit filed May 20, CCSD bus driver Victoria Nelson collided with Jorge Mejia in October near the intersection of Desert Inn Road and Nellis Boulevard. Video from inside the school bus shows the vehicle driven by Nelson accelerating through a red light and colliding with Mejia’s pickup truck. Audio from the accident can be heard from children on the bus screaming during the collision.
Paul Szpirt, lead litigation attorney at the Dimopoulos Law Firm, which is representing Mejia, said previous decisions by CCSD led to his client’s injuries and put children and property at risk.
“It all boils down to the Clark County School District not seeing fit to remove Ms. Nelson from her position as a bus driver,” Szpirt said.
Video from inside the school bus shows a vehicle driven by Nelson accelerating through a red light and colliding with Mejia’s pickup truck.
Szpirt alleges that Nelson has been involved in multiple accidents and is being sued for the second time in three years.
“I know Mr. Nelson. The reason I know Mr. Nelson is because in 2021 we sued Mr. Nelson and the Clark County School District for a similar incident,” Szpirt said.
According to 2021 court testimony, Nelson admitted to being arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in 2006 and ultimately pleaded guilty, resulting in a one-year license suspension. At the time, Nelson worked as a bus aide for CCSD, but was promoted to bus driver in 2017, despite his criminal record.
“It’s disturbing that a bus driver with this kind of history can be driving our children around,” Szpirt said.
CCSD settled the 2021 lawsuit days before the incident in October 2023. The Clark County School District has a policy of not commenting on pending litigation, but Szpirt said that to his knowledge, Nelson still works for CCSD.
