Jury award in Bucks bus mishap dropped from $14 million, to $500,000

A Bucks County woman who lost a leg after being run over by a Pennsbury school bus in 2007 can collect only $500,000 in damages, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, not the $14 million originally awarded by a jury.

In a unanimous decision, the court reaffirmed lower court rulings that Ashley Zauflik's reward was capped by a state law limiting the amount school districts and municipalities can pay in liability lawsuits.

Chief Justice Ronald Castille, in his majority opinion, called the case "tragic," but said the decision to change the liability law should be left to the legislature, not the high court.

Zauflik's attorney, Thomas Kline, said in an e-mail that Zauflik was "very disappointed in the decision," but that she was hoping to take steps to persuade the legislature to change the law for future victims.

Zauflik was 17 when she was hit by a runaway Pennsbury school bus on a sidewalk. She suffered pelvic and leg injuries, eventually requiring the amputation of her left leg above the knee.

- Chris Palmer