A crash of a bus transporting the Greater Scranton Black Diamonds Pipe Band back from a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Milford in March of 2025 spawned eight lawsuits in recent months.

On March 16, 2025, at 6:20 p.m., a school bus crashed at the end of the Mt. Cobb Exit 8 of Interstate 84 in Jefferson Township, sending more than a dozen occupants to the hospital.

The westbound bus appeared to lose control on the Exit 8 off-ramp, went through a grassy area near the Onvo Travel Plaza on Mount Cobb Road and smashed into a parked tractor-trailer, Jefferson Twp. Fire Chief Michael Shaffer said at the scene, according to archives of The Times-Tribune.

Rescue crews extricated the bus driver who was pinned in the bus. At least seven ambulances took crash victims to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City. Five refused treatment at the scene.

Band members and some of their family were among the nearly two dozen people on the bus, of whom about 16 were taken to a hospital, said band business manager Bill Hetherson in an interview with the newspaper the day after the crash. He was also on the bus.

Now, the incident has resulted in eight lawsuits filed in Lackawanna County Court against the bus driver, Donna Mellody of Olyphant, and busing companies DKB Transportation Inc., MRL Transportation LLC and Propst Transportation of Archbald, which are described in lawsuits as closely related, sister companies; and Tiger Tours Inc. of Jessup, a separate company.

Seven of the lawsuits have various bus occupants as plaintiffs claiming the driver and companies were negligent and seeking monetary damages. One lawsuit was filed by an insurer of the tractor-trailer against the driver and bus companies, seeking to recoup money paid out for the damaged tractor-trailer.

The lawsuits and some of their claims and details include:

• Feb. 25: Plaintiffs Hetherson and his wife, Lorraine, of Olyphant, name as defendants, Mellody, Tiger Tours, DKB and MRL doing business as Propst. Over the years, the pipe band typically would use Tiger Tours to arrange for one of its coach buses to take the members to parades and events and did so again. But this time, because of a coach mechanical breakdown, Tiger arranged for a Propst school bus instead. The lawsuit claims Mellody was driving the bus too fast, and William Hetherson suffered numerous injuries in the crash. The suit cites four counts of negligence and negligent entrustment and one spousal count. This lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. The Hethersons are represented by the Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn law firm. Tiger Tours, represented by the Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby law firm has filed in court preliminary objections based upon various legal grounds.

• March 16: Plaintiff First Guard Insurance Company of Florida names as defendants Mellody, DKB, MRL and Tiger Tours. First Guard insured the tractor-trailer that had its driver resting in the sleeper cabin of the truck when the crash occurred. The tractor-trailer sustained nearly $51,000 in damages, which First Guard paid out and now seeks to recoup. The one-count lawsuit cites negligence. First Guard is represented by the Flaster Greenberg law firm. The Weber Gallagher law firm representing Tiger Tours has filed in court defensive objections, noting Mellody was not employed by Tiger Tours and thus Tiger Tours was not negligent. Tiger Tours also filed crossclaims against co-defendants of Mellody, MRL and DKB seeking judgment in favor of Tiger Tours.

• May 7: Six separate, similar lawsuits filed by the O’Mally & Langan law firm representing the following plaintiffs, all of whom suffered various injuries: Cheryl Kaiser and her husband, William Kaiser, both of Scott Township; Michelle Kessler of Nicholson; Cheryl Smith of Scranton; Michael Graham of Clarks Summit; Anthony Gaynor and his wife, Atlanta Gaynor, and their minor sons identified by initials CG and RG, all of Factoryville; and Keith Baylor and his wife, Sarah Baylor, and their minor son JB and minor daughter BB, all of Nescopeck. Citing various counts of negligence, these six lawsuits each name as defendants Mellody, Tiger Tours, DKB, MRL and Propst. Each of these six lawsuits seeks damages in excess of $50,000. None of the defendants have yet filed any responses in court to these six lawsuits. Efforts on Monday were unsuccessful to reach representatives of the busing companies or their attorneys.

Reached by phone, Mellody deferred comment about the lawsuits to her attorney, Edward Neyhart of the Byrne Neyhart & Higgins law firm. Neyhart declined to comment.

Mellody, who also was injured in the crash said: “I’m recovering from back surgery. I’m still recuperating from it and now walking with a cane.”