A South Carolina mother has claimed justice for her daughter in the form of a $175,000 settlement from her school district. It came after a bus driver continued to drive with her daughter’s arm caught in the door.
Stephanie Floyd-McInnis sued the Horry County School District after the incident in August 2023. They reached a settlement last week.
The school district admitted it was negligent in hiring former bus driver Thomas Michael Interlandi.
Stuck in the Door
According to a federal lawsuit obtained by Law & Crime, Floyd-McInnis’s 8-year-old daughter, Alliza Floyd, fell asleep on the bus and missed her stop.
At one point, Interlandi tried to drop her off at a different stop, but Alliza noticed dogs that she was afraid of nearby. Her family told WMBF that she had a history with those particular dogs.
When she ran back inside, Interlandi “angrily demanded” that Alliza get off the bus, but she refused because of the dogs.
That’s when the court filing said Interlandi shut the door, trapping the little girl’s arm. He then reversed the bus to a spot away from the dogs. The girl reportedly told Interlandi that her arm was caught, but he kept driving.
According to the family’s attorney, he drove the bus for nearly 30 seconds with the child stuck in the door.
The court filing said Interlandi told Alliza that having her arm caught “serves you right.” He later told a bus aide that the girl “shouldn’t have put her hand there” while whining, “you see what I have to go through?”
“As a mother, my first priority is to make sure that my daughter is safe and cared for at all times,” Floyd-McInnis said in a statement. “This bus driver and the school system failed my child in this instance…I felt it was important to step up for my daughter and to also ensure that other parents were made aware of what transpired on that bus.”
The family’s attorney, Tyler Bailey, shared security video of the incident with WMBF. It depicts Alliza getting her arm stuck in the door and struggling to hang onto something as Interlandi reverses the bus.
When the bus stops, Alliza pulls her arm back in before running off the bus. Bailey said Interlandi’s actions were no accident.
“Rather, it was an inhumane abuse of official power and shocking to the conscience to the extent that he was later arrested by law enforcement and criminally charged for his actions in this matter,” he wrote in a statement.
Bus Driver Charged
Interlandi was initially arrested and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, but the case was dismissed. He was fired by the school district four days later.
The charges were later dropped because there was no probable cause, according to WBTW.
Floyd-McInnis argued Interlandi and the bus assistant need to be in jail.
“You can’t tell me he did not do this intentionally,” she said. “He did it intentionally. I don’t see how the judge did not see probable cause in this.”
Alliza’s mother said she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident. She is undergoing physical therapy.
The school district sent Atlanta Black Star the following statement regarding the settlement:
“The district confirms that all parties involved in this matter have resolved by settlement agreement and release all claims, liability, etc. Respectfully, this brings closure to this litigation, and there is no further comment.“
Atlanta Black Star also reached out to the family and Bailey but has not heard back.
