School bus driver charged with DWI after crashing with students aboard

56-year-old Mary Coletti of Cortlandt Manor was arrested for driving while intoxicated after the school bus she was driving side-swept a telephone pole at around 7:00 a.m. on May 11, The Huffington Post reported.

The school bus, carrying 35 students, was heading to Walter Panas High School from the Lakeland School District when the incident took place. Some of the students sustained minor injuries. Coletti was arrested and charged with a DWI after blowing a 0.13% blood alcohol content. Under New York’s Leandra’s Law, a first offense DWI will automatically be escalated to a felony if any person inside the vehicle is 15 years old or younger.

The driver was taken into custody on a bond of $1,000. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

At Portale Randazzo LLP, we help Westchester residents charged with alcohol-related crimes build the strongest legal defense possible to protect their integrity and welfare. To learn more about how we might be able to put our experience to work for you, call us at (914) 292-3557 today.