Opinion ID: 1277627
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Leon France

Text: Mr. France is a deaf-mute who was employed as a cement finisher by The Velotta Company, an Ohio corporation under contract with the West Virginia Department of Highways to perform construction work. On September 28, 1989, Mr. France was working on a bridge on a county road in Braxton County. Due to the construction, traffic on the bridge was reduced to a single lane. At approximately 5:00 p.m. a school bus owned by the Braxton County Board of Education and driven by a Board of Education employee approached the bridge. The bus stopped to allow Mr. France to move out of the traffic lane to a curb on the outside of the bridge. As the bus passed, it struck Mr. France's wheelbarrow, which, in turn, struck Mr. France, pushing him over the bridge railing. Mr. France fell over sixty feet onto rocky ground. As a result of his injuries, he is permanently and totally disabled from employment as a construction worker. Mr. France was awarded workers' compensation benefits in Ohio. Mr. France, his wife, and his minor son subsequently sued the Board of Education in the Circuit Court of Braxton County, alleging that the bus driver's negligence in the operation of the school bus was the proximate cause of his injuries. [2] The Board subsequently moved for summary judgment on the ground that it was immune from suit under W.Va.Code, 29-12A-5(a)(11). By order dated January 2, 1992, the circuit court granted the motion. The France family now appeals from that ruling.