A York County woman pleaded guilty this week to causing the death of Arianna Landis, an 11th grade student at Northeastern High School, who was struck as she tried to board a school bus on Wednesday morning, Oct. 26, 2022.
Marie McGahan, 26, of Red Lion pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, encountering/overtaking a school bus, careless driving, negligent homicide, careless driving guilty plea and failure to comply with licensing restrictions.
The crash happened just after 7 a.m. Oct. 26 in the 500 block of York Haven Road in Newberry Township. It was still dark outside at the time.
Police said at the time that a passenger car traveling in the opposite direction of the bus struck the student. Arianna, who was seriously injured, was taken to York Hospital, police said at the time. She was later transferred to Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Kyle King was unable to comment on behalf of the District Attorney at this time as the case is currently pending sentencing.
McGahan’s sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on August 29, 2024 before York County Court of Common Pleas Judge Amber Kraft.
More: Family is suing in the death of a Northeastern High School student while boarding a bus last year
The victim’s family is suing the suspect and several others
Arianna Landis’ family has filed a lawsuit against the school district, F&S Transportation, alternate bus driver Pamela Billet and McGahan.
According to the lawsuit, the bus stopped further north than normal to pick up Landis, further from her driveway. As Arianna boarded the bus from the other side of York Haven Road, motorist Maire McGahan failed to stop at the bus lights and stop sign, the complaint alleges.
McGahan did not see Arianna in time to prevent her from hitting her, and her body was thrown five meters into the yard where she was later discovered by her mother, Nicole Anderson.
According to the lawsuit, the decision by both the bus company and the school district to require students to cross York Haven Road after dark to board their school buses was motivated by profit, budgetary concerns and convenience, as both defendants knew the safety risks. concerned.
More: Northeastern student struck while boarding school bus has died: police
“The whole thing is about holding individuals accountable. If you don’t hold people accountable, change usually doesn’t happen,” said the family’s attorney, Adam Wolfe.
He said the change they hope for will raise awareness of the need for safer bus routes and bus stops for students across the country. Arianna’s mother, Anderson, who was the first to find her daughter’s body at the scene, was battling cancer at the time.
Hearing the sound of her daughter’s slap as she boarded the bus, Anderson suffered physical, emotional and psychological pain, the lawsuit said. She died in May 2023, less than six months after her daughter.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Woman pleads guilty to vehicular homicide of Northeastern HS student
