In Iberia Parish, an update on a fatal motorcycle crash involving a school bus.
It happened last month, when State Police say the driver of that bus failed to yield while making a left hand turn, hitting the motorcyclist, 25 year old Kirt Rebert who was pronounced dead at the scene. KATC'S Chris Welty was in Iberia Parish and caught up with his family who are still looking for answers.
"He loved sports. He played softball, he played for the Louisiana Oilers. He was a very loved person," said his father, Kirt Rebert Senior.
Twenty-five year old Kirt Rebert Junior, also known as T.K. was passionate about life and loved adventures.
"All his life he's been on four wheelers, three wheelers, and he got a bike about 10-12 years ago, his first little bike," said his father.
On May 13th, T.K. went for a morning ride with his friend. "It was a clear day, as stated in the report...no fog, nothing to obstruct her view and they only had one child on the bus."
T.K.'s motorcycle skid about 70 feet before making impact with the school bus. In a statement that KATC obtained, the bus driver says she flat out didn't see him.
The family has filed suit against the bus driver and the Iberia Parish School Board with a number of allegations, including that the bus driver failed to yield while making a turn and the bus was not properly maintained. In the crash report, troopers say the bus driver admitted to altering an inspection checklist and that she had not performed an inspection on the bus since April.
"I'm very upset. I'm very upset at the loss of my son, I will never have him again, I will never see him again. His two children will have to grow up without a dad. They won't have a provider, because he was their provider. They have their mom who loves them dearly, but I felt like we have to make a statement," said his father.
Kirt's family has set up a foundation in his memory, the "Cajun Xtreme Motorcycle Awareness Group." They are working in the community to raise awareness about motorcycle safety. They have a fundraiser scheduled on July second, at Rockin' Whiskey in New Iberia
If you are interested in finding out about other fundraiseing events for Cajun Xtreme, click the link to their page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/c...reme.awareness
We did reach out to the Iberia Parish School Board for comment on the suit, but our calls were not returned as of news time.
Chris Welty
cwelty@katctv.com
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