Parents sue daycare over van crash

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- More trouble for a local daycare owner, whose van was involved in a fatal crash last month. Heavenly Angels Childcare Center is now facing legal problems. Parents of four children are suing the childcare center after the daycare's van was involved in a fatal crash. Phaedra Chapman-Woods and Jordon Woods brought the suit against Heavenly Angels.

The crash sent 14 children and the driver of the van to the hospital. The bus monitor, Tiffany Belk, was killed. An accounting and payroll company is also suing the daycare.

LaVonia Lewars' owns the center and her problems just got worse. The lawsuits were filed within the last several days. "We've brought a suit against the Heavenly Angels company that was in existence at the time for the liability of its employee...for failure to supervise," says Andrew Horne, parents' attorney.

Louisville attorney Andrew Horne is representing the parents of four of the children who were inside the vehicle. In June, the van was carrying children from the Dixie Highway Heavenly Angels Childcare Center and crashed into a tree off Algonquin Parkway. You can still see the signs of the crash at the scene and mementos also mark the spot...perhaps in honor of the bus monitor who was killed in the crash.

Horne says,"We are talking about driving in the city at such a high rate of speed with a tire blowing out...she crosses the roadway and hit a tree."

The suit also names the driver of the van. Her name is Keishia Tiller. "There was a witness I guess interviewed that indicated he didn't see any real explanation as to why she lost control of the vehicle," says Horne.

The second lawsuit was filed by SKS Accounting & Consulting claiming fraud and a breach of contract after Lewars cashed in a loan for more than 80-thousand dollars after the crash.

Lewars voluntarily closed the doors to the daycares a short time later and Horne suspects she may run. Horne explains,"It's one thing to close...she closed it...that's one thing...she dissolved the company...she went to the secretary of state and dissolved the LLC."