WAUSHARA COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - A competency exam has been ordered in the case of a Waushara County man charged in the death of a girl at her school bus stop.
Online court records show Carl Mullenix’s attorney raised the issue of competency and requested an examination. The court ordered the exam and scheduled a status hearing for April 6.
Mullenix, 77, is charged with Homicide by Negligent Operation of a Vehicle and Reckless Driving-Cause Bodily Harm.
The charges were filed in relation to the February 2020 crash that killed Maryana Kranz, 6, as she was about to board a school bus along State Road 73 in the Town of Oasis. Maryana was a student at Tri-County School District.
Maryana’s four-year-old sister was also hit. She was treated at a hospital and released.
A criminal complaint obtained by Action 2 News states a witness who was stopped behind the school bus that day spotted a maroon Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck approaching from his rear at “a high rate speed.” The witness stated that the pickup truck was not slowing down and he feared he would be hit. The witness stated he drove his car into the oncoming northbound lane of traffic to avoid being hit.
The Chevy pickup truck, driven by Carl Mullenix, passed the witness before passing the school bus on the right and eventually coming to a stop in front of the bus.
A Waushara County detective walked the scene and saw tire tracks on the shoulder on the right side of the bus. The detective said that was consistent with the witness’s account of what happened.
The detective saw a child’s mittens, snow boots and backpack in front of the bus. Maryana Kranz was covered in a blanket in the road.
The detective made contact with Carl Mullenix. Mullenix stated he was en route to an auto repair shop in Wautoma that morning. He stated he saw the bus stopped, hit his brakes and steered to the passenger side of the bus.
Mullenix said he heard “a big bang, and that’s about it.”
Mullenix denied seeing the witness’s vehicle that was stopped behind the bus.
“The defendant went on to state that he could not remember whether he saw people in the roadway when he was approaching the bus,” reads the criminal complaint.
The school bus driver told investigators that he had stopped to pick up three Kranz children at a residence on State Highway 73. The driver said he activated his school bus warning lights, the flashing red lights and the stop arm.
The driver said he saw a silver car stopped at a safe distance behind the bus. This was the witness’s vehicle.
The bus driver said he saw the Kranz children cross the street and the “truck came out of nowhere and struck the children,” according to the complaint.
Maryana died at the scene. Her sister suffered injuries to her head and legs.
Mullenix was previously issued citations for Improper Passing of Stopped Bus, Fail/Stop for Unloading School Bus, Inattentive Driving and Unsafe Passing on Right. The investigation was then sent to the district attorney’s office for official charges.
The Kranz sisters’ mother, Shannon, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Mullenix and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.
The suit states that Shannon Kranz arrived at the scene within minutes and “personally witnessed the severe injuries and ultimate death inflicted to her daughter due to the negligence of Carl Mullenix.”
It states Shannon has “sustained severe emotional distress.”
Kranz is also looking for damages related to medical and burial expenses.
A settlement offer was made in August, according to online court records. No details were released regarding the settlement.
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