NEWARK, N.J. (PIX11) — A grieving Newark mother is suing the Board of Education after her daughter was hit by a car while getting off a school bus earlier this year.
Chiara Jones, then an 18-year-old senior at Arts High School in Newark, was returning from a cheerleading competition on the evening of Feb. 4.
Jones’ mother, Tomeika Hines-Jones, said she had been texting with her daughter and following her location during the bus ride back. Hines-Jones had arranged for an Uber to pick up Chiara and bring her home, where she planned to surprise Chiara with a steak dinner. But Hines-Jones quickly noticed that her daughter’s location wasn’t moving from in front of Arts High School, and Chiara had stopped responding to texts and calls.
Hines-Jones went down to the school, where she discovered a crime scene. She then rushed to University Hospital, where Chiara was in critical condition.
Hines-Jones said if she hadn’t been tracking her daughter’s location, she’s not sure when she would have been notified about the crash. She said the district never called her, despite providing ample emergency contact information at the beginning of the school year.