By Shereen Siewert
Nine months after a crash that left a 6-year-old girl dead and her 4-year-old sister injured, homicide charges have been filed against the driver who allegedly drove around the right side of a bus and struck the girls.
The crash happened in February on Hwy. 73 in Plainfield. Maryana Kranz died in the crash. Her sister, Hannah Kranz, suffered a concussion but survived. Prosecutors say the sisters were waiting to board a school bus outside their home when they were struck.
Now, 76-year-old Carl Mullenix is facing charges of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving-causing bodily harm. The charges were filed Monday in Waushara County Circuit Court, where Mullenix is being summoned to court.
A wrongful death lawsuit against Mullenix was filed in March. That case has not yet concluded.
Court records show Mullenix also faces several traffic citations: unsafe passing on the right, inattentive driving, failure to stop for an unloading school bus and improper passing of a school bus. The citations were filed in June.
The bus was stopped with lights flashing and Mullenix was traveling in the same direction as the bus when the crash happened, police say.
The victims were students at the Tri-County Area School District.
