By Naomi Tsuang
Online News Editor
The Compton Superior Court jury presiding over the Zisette v. Starline Tour Bus Corp. case awarded the Zisette family, Manhattan Beach residents, $26 million on Nov. 18 for the wrongful death of their son and former Mira Costa student Mason Zisette in an accident that occurred in July 2014.
Mason passed away at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, two days after he stood up on a Starline Tours double-decker bus on the 405 Freeway and hit the Spruce Street pedestrian bridge during a birthday party on July 10, 2014.
The Zisettes filed a lawsuit in January 2015 against Starline Tours of Hollywood Inc., the bus driver Jose Barajas Curiel and the manufacturer of the bus, New Flyer Industries Canada. In their lawsuit, the Zisettes claimed that the adults on board, the bus driver, the tour guide and the birthday girl’s parents did not observe safety measures, such as telling the teenagers to sit down.
Photos: Mason Zisette’s Legacy
A police report supposedly found that the birthday girl’s mother provided alcohol for the teenagers, and that the bus employees supposedly allowed them to drink and dance on the second story of the bus while it was moving, according to an unofficial court write-up by plaintiff lawyer Victor L. George.
For its defense, Starline’s team said that Mason was at fault because he was under the influence of alcohol when he stood on top of an 18-inch riser. Starline also claimed to have no knowledge of the alcohol, Starline attorney Lisa Collinson said.
Link: Learn about the Starline Tours Terms and Conditions
“The kids were repeatedly told to stay seated,” Collinson said. “Starline buses traverse the freeway system in Los Angeles without incident every day.”
However, the jury found Starline 70 percent at fault, the birthday girl’s parents 25 percent at fault and Mason 5 percent responsible for his death.
“The jury’s word meant so much to our family after a long trial,” Mason’s mother, Amy Zisette, said. “We were grateful to the legal system and to the jurors themselves.”
Link: Learn about the Zisette family’s scholarship in honor of Mason
Since Mason’s death, Starline has prohibited alcohol on its buses and has placed signs warning passengers to stay seated, Starline Attorney Michael Schonbuch said. Security guards are also required to supervise each bus’ deck. The Zisettes will use the money awarded from the trial to support transport safety laws.
“There’s never enough money to replace your child,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “You get a dollar or $26 million, but it won’t replace your child.”
Over 1,800 people attended Mason’s funeral on July 26, 2014 at American Martyrs Church.
“Mason was and still is a very important part of Manhattan Beach,” Amy Zisette said. “We like to think he would be very proud.”
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