Family of girl, 7, fatally struck by bus sues RTC
The mother of a 7-year-old girl who was killed when she was hit by a bus has filed a lawsuit accusing the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada of negligence and wrongful death.
Wideline Derifond was with her daughter Larissa Lucas in the east Las Vegas Valley on Sept. 21, 2023, when the driver of an RTC bus, according to allegations in a 14-page complaint filed Sept. 19 in District Court, failed to check traffic and crashed into them.
A separate complaint was filed two days later by Alan MacIntosh, a special administrator of Lucas’ estate, who also alleges the bus driver’s actions, as well as negligence from RTC and a third-party vendor, contributed to Lucas’ death.
Lucas’ death was attributed to blunt force injuries and was ruled an accident, according to the Clark County coroner’s office, the Las Vegas Review-Journal previously reported.
The Metropolitan Police Department said at the time that the girl later identified as Lucas and an unnamed adult female —listed in the complaint as Derifond — were hit by the bus while outside a marked crosswalk in the area of East Charleston Boulevard and South Lamont Street just after 9:30 p.m. that night. Police said that Lucas died at the scene.
But both complaints allege bus driver Aniya Woodward failed to obey traffic laws and safely operate the RTC’s 2013 New Flyer bus at the time Lucas was fatally hit. Each complaint names Woodward, the RTC and public transit contractor Transdev Services, Inc., as defendants.
Attorneys for Derifond and MacIntosh could not be reached for comment. A RTC spokesperson said it does not comment on pending litigation, and Transdev did not respond to requests for comment.
Derifond in her complaint also alleged the incident left her with mental anguish and without the ability to perform job duties, which resulted in lost wages, physical impairment and mental anguish.
According to the complaints, plaintiffs are looking to recover damages caused by medical and funeral expenses, as well as legal fees and additional punitive damages.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.
