Valerie L. Haas and the school are being sued for “negligence.” The families attorney speaks with KENS5.
SAN ANTONIO — Two families are suing the Montessori Plus Preschool in Fair Oaks where a teacher and baby lost their lives when a driver crashed into a play area in December.
The lawsuit alleges negligence by the school and the driver who was named in the lawsuit as Valerie Haas.
While seeking justice the families are also advocating for a new ordinance to bring stricter safety standards to childcare centers.
The families of one-year-old Mkaya Amrani and Alexia Rosales are asking for over one-million dollars in damages each.
The two were at a fenced in playground when according to the lawsuit Haas drove through the fence, pinning them under the car ultimately killing both.
Their families’ attorney said they want to make tragedies like this preventable in the future…
A ten page lawsuit filed by the families of Amrani and Rosales wants to hold both the driver and school accountable for negligence.
“The lives of these children and these teachers wee not protected.”
Vela said the lawsuit claims Haas failed to exercise reasonable care to avoid harming others.
The lawsuit states that on December 19th Haas hit a parked car and sent both through a play area at the school.
Authorities said the driver experienced a medical episode.
“From what we understand, we have reason to believe this type of medical episode could have happened at any time, and therefore the driver should not have been driving.”
The lawsuit also claims the school created dangerous conditions.
“The only barrier they had between that parking lot and that play area was a rod iron fence not built to withstand the power of a vehicle when vehicles are constantly coming in and out of that parking lot.”
They also cite the failure to properly barricade the play area.
Both families are asking for over 1-million dollars in damages for mental anguish and pain, along with medical and funeral costs and the two greatest losses.
“The loss of the companionship that young Mkaya and Alexia would have had for the rest of their lives, the rest of their parents’ lives.”
Along with the lawsuit the families want to enact the “Amrani-Rosales safety ordinance”
If passed this would require barriers at childcare centers to protect buildings and ultimately lives.
“My clients have suffered tremendous loss but what we’d like to do is prevent this tragedy from ever happening again.”
KENS 5 reached out to the school. They will not comment on the lawsuit at this time.
This is still an ongoing investigation by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office so charges are still pending depending on what is found.