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Father of child killed in school bus accident upset about charges filed against driver

Posted at 9:59 PM, Jul 03, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-03 23:59:56-04

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- It’s the everyday inside the Crosby home, when the entire family comes together, that it’s easy to notice one is missing.

“The feeling and the pain will remain forever," David Crosby said. "Losing a child is hard. It's extremely hard."

It’s only been two months since his 10-year-old daughter, Seleny, was killed, and the wounds at their home in South Jordan are far from ever being healed.

"We try to be good parents. We try to be good Christians. I try to be a good husband. Why?” asked Crosby.

On April 30, Seleny was getting off a school bus just a few blocks from home when she was hit by another bus as she crossed the street.

According to police, the driver of Seleny’s bus stopped improperly and used the wrong signaling, which meant other drivers on the road had no idea she was about to cross.

On Thursday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office charged the driver, Troy Daniels, with reckless endangerment and failure to signal for the accident. But for Crosby, that’s not nearly enough.

“I was expecting a felony, a second-degree felony at least," Crosby said. "Because my daughter is not sick, my daughter is not at the hospital: My daughter is dead."

He wants to see both drivers involved held accountable.

“If I kill somebody outside because I neglected, because I was a reckless driver, and somebody was killed and that's just a misdemeanor? A child's life was taken,” Crosby said.

According to chief deputy Blake Nakamura at the district attorney’s office, the law only allows them to do so much.

“Certainly, we understand that sentiment, but it’s not a question that is ours to answer in the filing of the charges,” Nakamura said. “Our question is what charges fit, based upon the evidence. And we proceed accordingly.”

But Crosby plans to request a meeting with the DA to further review the charges. He believes the incident warrants a more severe punishment.

“What is the message that we are sending, if any child is killed, they can be free?” Crosby said. “They can go free: That is the message that we’re sending to the community.”