Dad Told His 6-Year-Old Daughter “I Love You” Before School. Hours Later, She Was Fatally Struck by Her Own School Bus

FRANKFORT, Illinois — Michael Menias remembers the last words he said to his youngest daughter, Jenna, on the morning of September 8.

“I love you, and I’ll see you later.”

The six-year-old smiled before boarding her school bus, just as she did every school day. Hours later, Michael would find himself desperately hoping for a miracle as emergency responders fought to save her life after she was struck by the very bus that had taken her to school.

Jenna died at a nearby hospital. Now, her grieving family is pursuing a wrongful-death lawsuit, alleging that failures in school transportation procedures contributed to the tragedy.

A Routine School Day Turned Into a Nightmare

Jenna had just started first grade at Grand Prairie Elementary School in Frankfort, Illinois. On September 8, she stepped off her school bus at an assigned stop hundreds of feet from her home.

According to the family’s attorney, Daniel Kirschner, Jenna’s mother had contacted the school district in the weeks before the incident to express concerns about the safety of the bus route and its drop-off arrangements.

The family’s lawsuit alleges that Jenna’s regular driver had sometimes accommodated the family by dropping her directly in front of their home when no one was waiting at the designated stop. On the day of the tragedy, however, a substitute driver allegedly allowed the little girl to disembark at the regular stop without an adult present.

Six Seconds That Changed Everything

According to the family’s attorney, video footage of the incident shows Jenna walking around the bus’s extended crossing arm after getting off the vehicle.

Kirschner alleges that the driver retracted the arm and began moving forward while Jenna was still near the front of the bus.

“From the time she puts her foot down on the road until the time that bus strikes her is about six seconds,” the attorney told PEOPLE.

The family alleges that the driver was looking at the bus roster and route information as the vehicle began moving. Jenna was struck and run over by the bus.

She was rushed to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

The allegations have not been adjudicated in court.

Family Files Wrongful-Death Lawsuit

On September 22, Jenna’s family filed a lawsuit against Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 and Frankfort School District 157-C.

The complaint alleges that the districts failed to provide safe transportation and adequate procedures to protect young children getting off school buses.

The family’s attorney says the lawsuit is intended not only to seek accountability but also to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other children.

Representatives for both school districts expressed sympathy for Jenna’s loved ones but declined to comment further because of the pending litigation.

Remembering a Little Girl Who Loved Everyone

Jenna was the youngest of four children. Her father remembers her as a cheerful, outgoing little girl who could make people feel welcome wherever she went.

“She was always smiling,” Michael told PEOPLE. “She had a beautiful way of making people feel welcome. She was never shy to talk to others. She would literally talk to anyone.”

She also adored the family’s dog, Oscar, and loved spending time with him whenever she wasn’t at school.

Her seventh birthday was supposed to be celebrated on September 25. The family had planned a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee, Illinois, followed by a birthday party at home with her friends.

Instead, her family is left holding on to photographs, videos and memories of the little girl whose life ended far too soon.

A Father’s Final Words

Michael says the family is relying on therapy and the memories they shared with Jenna to cope with their loss.

He hopes people will remember his daughter for her kindness and joyful personality rather than the circumstances of her death.

“She loved everybody,” he said. “She was always happy. She was a beautiful little angel. That’s what I want people to remember.”

For Jenna’s family, the lawsuit represents an effort to understand how a routine school-bus journey could end in such devastating circumstances—and to help ensure another parent never has to say goodbye to a child this way.