The grieving widow of a retired California nurse is suing Poway Unified School District after a school bus killed the 69-year-old in March this year.

Rene Steiner was walking his dogs in Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood in northeastern San Diego on March 10. The school bus, operated by 76-year-old Richard Kraft, turned left into his path and struck him.

A San Diego Police officer in the area stopped and performed CPR on Steiner until paramedics arrived.

He was then transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was treated for a skull fracture, subdural hematoma, multiple rib fractures, and bilateral pulmonary contusion. He died from his injuries on March 28, 2026.

“Our family is forever changed by the loss of Rene. No family should have to go through this. We hope that by coming forward, we can make sure someone answers for what happened and that carrying on as usual without taking action is simply not an option,” Rene’s wife, Cindy, said in a statement earlier this year.

The Times of San Diego reports that the court documents claim a neighbor’s ring camera captured moments before the horrific accident. Steiner was walking with his two dogs on Paseo Montalban and Via Cima Bella while the Poway Unified bus driver was allegedly speeding down Via Cima Bella.

“Our lawsuit is about getting justice for Rene and Cindy Steiner, but it’s also about changing Poway Unified policies that encourage bus drivers to take shortcuts through small neighborhood streets,” Domenic Martini, Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber and counsel for the Steiner family, told the Times of San Diego.

The family’s attorneys allege that the bus driver failed to make a complete stop at the intersection and turned right onto Paseo Montalban.

“His death was preventable, and his family deserves accountability,” Martini said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims Poway Unified has a history of bus-related traffic issues, noting 118 documented incidents in Rancho Peñasquitos and Sabre Springs since 2019 — including several outside standard school transportation hours, reports the Times.

“A number of those incidents occurred during midday, evening, and pre-dawn hours, including periods outside regular student transportation times,” the lawsuit alleged, reports the Times.

The driver of the bus faces a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge and was also fined for failing to yield to a pedestrian within a crosswalk.

His next court date is scheduled for October 27, 2026.

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