School system asks federal judge to divide $700K among families in deadly Clarksville bus crash. Here’s what we know

What This Story Is About

• The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has filed an interpleader lawsuit in federal court. It asks a judge to decide how $700,000 will be divided among families of children killed and injured in the March 27 school bus crash in Carroll County.

Why It Matters

• The school system says Tennessee law caps its total liability for the crash at $700,000. That is a total for all claims, not an amount for each child. Two students were killed and 22 others were injured.

What Happens Next

• The school system is asking the judge to take control of the money and decide who gets what. The families may file their own competing lawsuits against the school district. WSMV4 Investigates will follow the case and any suits the families file.

For Context

• Bus driver Sabrina Ducksworth was indicted in September on two of three counts: failure to exercise due care and driving on roadways laned for traffic. In June, the school system denied liability in a separate lawsuit, arguing the driver had an “unforeseeable sudden loss of consciousness.”

Catch Up

• Dash cam video shows deadly Clarksville school bus crash in Carroll County

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is asking a federal judge to decide how $700,000 will be divided among families of children killed and injured in a deadly March school bus crash.

The school system says that amount is the most it can be required to pay under Tennessee law. The lawsuit does not address what caused the crash or who was responsible.

It asks the judge to take control of a limited pool of money and decide how it should be split among the families.

Clarksville school bus driver indicted on charges related to March crash that killed two students

What the lawsuit asks

The school system filed what is called an interpleader lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. According to the complaint, it was filed Oct. 20.

The lawsuit asks a judge to take control of the money that will be paid out and decide how it should be divided among the families.

The school system argues that under the Tennessee Governmental Tort Liability Act, its total liability for all deaths and injuries from the crash is capped at $700,000. That total is for all the families and combined, not an amount for each child.

The complaint says the school system will deposit $700,000 with the court, and that the school system does not concede liability.

Who is named

The lawsuit names the parents and guardians of children who were killed and injured, while also naming several insurance companies and Priority Ambulance.

The insurance companies named in the complaint are Mountain Laurel Assurance, GEICO Indemnity Company and Erie Insurance Exchange.

The school system says the claims could exceed the $700,000 limit, and since the families could file competing lawsuits that result in inconsistent judgments, it wants the federal judge to streamline the process and determine who receives what.

School system says bus driver suffered ‘unforeseeable medical emergency’ in crash that killed 2 students in TN, court documents say

The crash

The crash happened March 27, 2026, in Carroll County, involving.

A bus operated by school district employee Sabrina Ducksworth was carrying students on a field trip when it was involved in the crash.

Two children, identified in the lawsuit by the initials Z.D. and A.P., but who have been identified publicly as Zoe Davis and Ariana Pearson, were killed. Several other students were injured.

Questions the lawsuit does not answer

The lawsuit does not say whether the school system has additional insurance coverage, including excess or umbrella insurance, that could provide families with more money beyond the $700,000 limit.

It also does not disclose how much the families are seeking in damages or whether any have reached settlement agreements.

Other legal action

In September, a Carroll County grand jury indicted Ducksworth on two of three counts: failure to exercise due care and driving on roadways laned for traffic.

Jurors did not charge her with vehicular homicide, according to court documents.

In June, the school system denied liability in a separate lawsuit filed by John and Jessica Davis.

In that filing, the school system argued the driver had an “unforeseeable sudden loss of consciousness” due to a stroke, cardiovascular failure or another medical event just before the crash.