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Victims' Families Sue For Negligence In Butler Co. Crash Involving Bus, Train

EVANS CITY (KDKA/AP) -- The families of the victims of a deadly accident involving a train and a mini-bus in Butler County are filing a lawsuit.

The lawsuit Tuesday comes a year after bus driver Frank Schaffner was sentenced to 16 years of probation in the April 2013 crash that killed two people and injured eight.

The suit says both Schaffner, and the transportation agency, Butler Area Rural Transit, were negligent.

Schaffner did not stop at the foggy railroad crossing in Evans City. He told police he had never come across a train there before.

The bus was carrying several senior citizens and people with disabilities. The passengers started yelling when they saw a freight train approaching, but Schaffner told investigators he couldn't hear them because the radio was too loud.

When Schaffner finally saw the train, he tried to drive out of the way, but it was too late. The freight train hit the mini-bus, killing two people and injuring eight others.

Schaffner pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment in the case. In addition to probation, he was sentenced to house arrest and community service.

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