A third lawsuit has been filed against the Mars Area School District and its transportation contractor A.J. Myers and Sons in connection with a March 6, 2025, fatal bus crash.

A parent of two district students filed a three-count negligence suit in Butler County Common Pleas Court last week claiming both children were injured in the crash, in which the bus driver died. The suit is the third from parents who say their children were injured in the crash. The latest suit brings the number of students claiming injuries to nine.

Rebecca Ferderbar, of Mars, filed the most recent suit Feb. 25 on behalf of her two children, who are now 11 and 12 years old.

The suit alleges Myers is negligent because the company continued to employ bus driver William “Bob” Miller despite him being behind the wheel during previous bus crashes. Miller died in the hospital about a week after the March crash.

The suit contends the district is negligent because it renewed its contract with Myers in September 2023 despite previous crashes in which Miller was driving, failed to address safety concerns parents raised about Miller and failed to demand Miller’s termination.

During a morning trip, the bus was traveling on Three Degree Road when it crossed into the oncoming lane, left the road, went through a field and struck a tree head-on, according to police reports.

Ferderbar said she took her children to UPMC Passavant in Cranberry Township after the crash, and then to Tri-Rivers Orthopedic for follow-up treatment. One of the children suffered a broken finger, a concussion and an arm bruise. The second child had a shoulder injury and an arm bruise. Both had anxiety and fear about riding a bus, which caused Ferderbar to drive them to school for some time after the crash, according to the suit.

The bus company and district did not return messages seeking comment about the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.