A Superior Court judge has awarded half a million dollars in damages to a man injured by a drunk school bus driver.

Darrin Bernardo was struck by a Department of Public Works school bus on March 24, 2023. 

The driver, Roy Joseph Quintanilla, was later charged with vehicular negligence and driving while impaired. He entered a guilty plea under a deferred plea agreement.

Superior Court Judge Elyze Iriarte granted Bernardo the maximum $500,000 allowed under the Government Claims Act, despite damages and losses calculated at more than $850,000.

Bernardo’s claim included medical costs, vehicle damage, lost wages, and projected loss of future earnings. The government admitted liability, and the court proceeded with the damages phase earlier this year. 

Judge Iriarte has given Bernardo time to notify the court if he intends to pursue claims against other individual defendants named in the suit.