Family of Adonis Butler filing a lawsuit against the City of Albany

Adonis Butler was a sophomore linebacker for the Golden Rams and was tragically killed back in November 2021 after being hit by a city bus.

ALBANY, Ga. – The family of the late Adonis Butler say they’ll be filing a lawsuit against the city. The 21-year-old died after he was hit by an Albany Transit Bus back on November 1st.

The driver Sylvia Tellis, was later charged with two misdemeanors in connection to the accident.

The city was sent a demand letter, which is a requirement that must be met to file a lawsuit in the State of Georgia. Once that letter was sent out, the city had 30 days to respond. According to Ashley Mitchell with Turnbull, Holcomb & Lemone who is representing the family; the city failed to respond.

“So at present we have heard nothing from the city. And our option now is to move forward and file a lawsuit against the city since we have met that initial requirement.” said Mitchell.

Butler was a budding football player with high hopes and aspirations, who was tragically killed after being hit by a city bus back in November of 2021.

Mitchell says that there is “no excuse” the city failed to respond to the demand letter.

“There’s not anything that they’re waiting on, there’s not any facts to be developed. We all know what happened here…” said Mitchell.

Mitchell contends there is a clear liability against the city, and that the bus driver was charged in connection to the accident, and that video exists of the fatal collision.

Mitchell adds that Butler was not “in the wrong.”

“Just quite frankly there is no reason she failed to see Adonis as he was walking through the crosswalk and he was doing absolutely nothing wrong that can explain why she failed to see him…” said Mitchell.

We recently talked with Adonis’ mother, father and sister to see how they have been holding up since the accident.

Diana Ross, Adonis’s mother says that buses should have never been traveling through the small yet heavily populated area with students to get to the student center.

“…it was a parking lot essentially behind the dorms turning on to a street between the dorms and the student center. To me a city bus doesn’t belong right there…” said Ross.

The Butler family has ideas in place to keep Adonis’ legacy alive. Saying once their lawsuit is settled, proceeds will go into a scholarship fund at Butler’s former alma mater, Dutchtown High School in Hampton.

“…Adonis wanted to play in the NFL, he wanted to own an agility training facility. He also wanted to start a clothing line, and so my daughter is going to pick that up and start a clothing line.” said Ross.

We did reach out to talk with the city’s attorney but were told “the city cannot and will not discuss the current litigation.”

Stay with South Georgia Television News as we bring you the very latest developments out of this case on-air and online.