Nearly one year later, three students in UCSC bus crash file lawsuit accusing UC regents of negligence

Three UC Santa Cruz students who were in a bus crash on campus last December that killed driver Dan Stevenson are suing the University of California egents for negligence. 

Students Kaya Chester, Rahul Nadkarni and Kyle Hinaga were all passengers on the UCSC loop bus on the night of Dec. 12, 2023. Around 8:30 p.m., the bus left the roadway near the base of campus and collided with a stone wall of a lime kiln. 

Chester, Nadkarni and Hinaga were all injured in the crash. Two other students were also on the bus but are not named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.  Stevenson was hospitalized and died from his injuries Dec. 29. He drove for Santa Cruz Metro and UCSC’s campus bus service for 25 years.

In their lawsuit, filed Friday, the students allege that Stevenson “was negligent in his operation of the bus and that the Regents of the University of California are vicariously liable” for the driver’s actions.

“Our clients sustained significant, life-threatening and life altering injuries. Their lives were upended,” said Ilya Filmus of Infinity Law Group, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the three students. “It’s important to vindicate their rights and bring justice on their behalf. These are students who have a bright future. That future has been significantly impacted by the negligence of others.” 

Filmus said the death of Stevenson and the crash was a “tragic accident all around.” 

“It’s unfortunate that it happened and that there were significant injuries,” he said. “It’s hopefully something that will never happen again on a campus.” 

The bus crash amplified longstanding concerns of students and activists on campus who criticized the university’s bus fleet as being old and unsafe. After the crash, the California Highway Patrol inspected nine buses and found five had to be placed out of service for repairs, resulting in an “unsatisfactory safety compliance rating.”

In August, the university concluded its eight-month investigation into the crash, ruling that the bus, which was manufactured in 1993, had no mechanical issues and attributed the crash to Stevenson’s failure to make the turn in the road. 

UCSC spokesperson Scott Hernandez-Jason said the university hadn’t yet been served with the lawsuit.

“This bus crash was a tragic and heartbreaking moment for our UC Santa Cruz community,” he wrote Monday, via email. “We continue to mourn the death of our bus driver and extend our sympathy to the students who were on the bus.”

UC media didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.

Filmus told Lookout that his clients’ view of the cause of the crash is consistent with the university’s investigation. In the lawsuit, one student accused Stevenson of driving too fast the night of the crash.

According to the complaint, Nadkarni was seated in the rear of the bus. He told officers after the crash that Stevenson was “driving fast and braking hard” during the route. 

“A few minutes before the crash, plaintiff Nadkarni texted his friend: “Night time loop drivers have a death wish,’” the lawsuit reads.

Nadkarni was taken by ambulance to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz and treated for injuries to his hips, lower back and forehead. 

Chester told officers that she rang the shuttle’s bell to exit the bus at the next stop after she asked Stevenson about the bus route, according to the lawsuit. Soon after, and before she could exit, she “saw everything go black and woke up on the floor of the bus.” 

She was taken by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where she was treated for seven days. The lawsuit says she suffered multiple blunt-force trauma injuries, including a right hip dislocation and a pelvis fracture that required surgery.

In the complaint, Hinaga said he doesn’t recall where he was seated or what happened just before the crash. He was taken by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and treated for blunt-force trauma injuries including to his head, right forearm, shoulder and neck. 

The students are asking the court for damages for past and future suffering, medical expenses, loss of income and attorneys’ fees. 

Filmus said it’s too soon to provide an estimated amount for damages that his clients are seeking if they’re successful in the case. 

“It’s important that the safety of students is at the forefront of the regents, and particularly of UCSC,” he said. “Ad that the regents take this seriously and that they do whatever it takes to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone in the future.” 

FOR THE RECORD: This story was updated to add information from UCSC officials.

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