Newark Board of Education, Others, Sued After N.J. High School Cheerleader Critically Injured by Motorist

Premier catastrophic injury firm, Lynch Law Firm, demands trial by jury after pedestrian was struck following cheerleading competition

NEWARK, NJ (October 7, 2024) – Lynch Law Firm and the parents of Chiara Jones – the then 18-year-old Arts High School (Newark, NJ) student-cheerleader who was struck and catastrophically injured by a motorist on February 4, 2024 – announce they have filed a civil lawsuit against the Newark Board of Education and others for their responsibility in the pedestrian-related near-fatality.

Premier New Jersey law firm, Lynch Law Firm, whose practice focuses on catastrophic injury cases, served the Demand for a Trial by Jury on October 7, 2024, with the Essex County Superior Court of New Jersey. The decision to proceed with litigation comes after the firm has substantiated additional pertinent facts related to the tragic evening with disturbing new video evidence in their possession.

“There are many who bear responsibility in this absolutely heart-wrenching tragedy,” said James Lynch of Lynch Law Firm, who served as past President of the New Jersey Association for Justice. “The two drivers were reckless in operating their vehicles and, moreover, Arts High School and the Newark Board of Education were grossly negligent by failing to properly enforce and supervise essential safety procedures with bus disembarkation.”

On March 21, 2024, Lynch Law Firm first filed a Notice of Claim against the Newark Board of Education in addition to Arts High School, the Newark School District, County of Essex, State of New Jersey, Best Choice Transportation, school bus driver Joaquin Diaz, and operator Mia’Jah Burton who allegedly struck Chiara Jones. In the months following, the plaintiff and defending parties failed to reach a settlement satisfactory to the Jones family given the devastating injuries and diminished quality of life their daughter suffers and will continue to endure. While Ms. Jones is no longer in a coma, she remains confined to her wheelchair or bed and requires full-time assistance in performing simple daily tasks like dressing and eating while she continues to undergo extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Additional information excerpted from a Lynch Law Firm press release, dated March 25, 2024:

The Notice of Claim alleges that around 10:15pm on the day of the tragic hit-and-run [February 4, 2024], [Chiara] Jones was returning to her school campus along the 500-block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard following a cheerleading competition in Toms River. Upon exiting the school bus, Jones attempted to cross the street. However, the school bus driver failed to turn on the red flashing lights and extend the stop arm – indications that approaching motorists must come to a complete stop – and she was struck by a sedan driven by [Mia’Jah] Burton as Burton was passing the bus. Burton then fled the scene. Jones’ family had released impassioned pleas for the driver responsible to come forward to no avail. Burton was subsequently arrested after an investigation involving area surveillance footage led to an alleged positive identification of the vehicle and driver.

“This is an absolutely senseless tragedy of a young woman with such a bright and successful future ahead,” said James Lynch of Lynch Law Firm, who also served as immediate past President of the New Jersey Association for Justice. “It’s unfathomable that one minute, Chiara was beaming with pride alongside her teammates after winning a big cheerleading competition, to moments later entering the battle for her life.”

The civil filing seeks to recover damages related to medical bills, life care costs, suffering and enormous losses to her family.