The parents of 12-year-old Brayden Callahan, who was tragically killed when he was struck by a Rockland school bus in November, are suing the school district and the driver to establish accountability for their tragic loss, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said this week.
[RELATED: Child Killed in Crash With Bonny Eagle School Bus in Standish…]
The Steve Smith Trial Lawyers announced on Tuesday that they would be representing Calahan’s parents in the case of Shane Callahan & Kelley Morse vs. RSU 13 and Jeffrey Colburn, which targets the Rockland school district, RSU 13, and the bus driver, Jeffrey Colburn.
“When we send our children to school, families must be able to trust that everyone responsible for their safety — from superintendents and teachers to school bus drivers — is acting with the utmost care and professionalism,” said the firm in a Tuesday statement.
“When a school system places a child in the care of a driver operating a commercial vehicle weighing thousands of pounds, that responsibility demands careful supervision and strict adherence to safety standards. Based on what we have learned, this tragedy appears to involve multiple points of failure, and we intend to pursue accountability for all those responsible,” they added.
The firm argued that the lawsuit has implications for more than just the family directly suffering from the tragedy. They pointed out that the situation involves matters that bear on public safety, institutional responsibility, and child safety—issues that impact all Maine families.
Steve Smith Trial Lawyers stated that they will provide no further comments at this time, as the case is ongoing.
After the tragedy, details emerged that the driver, Colburn, who is no longer employed by the district, had a history of crashes and driving offenses.
In June 2015, he had his license suspended following an OUI conviction, and more recently, he was reportedly involved in two crashes—one in 2022 and another in October, shortly before the fatal incident—where he struck parked vehicles with an empty school bus.
Despite his questionable driving record, RSU 13 nevertheless continued to entrust him with the safety of the students on his bus.
The law firm announced its role in the suit on the same day that a similar tragedy took place in Standish, when 5-year-old Simon Gonzalez was also struck and killed by a school bus.
Law enforcement and the school district have both declined to release the name of the bus driver involved in that incident.
