Off-Duty School Bus Driver Hits Police Car in DUI Accident

According to local police, an off-duty school bus driver from Long Island was charged with drunk driving after she drove her vehicle directly into a police car that had been stopped in response to a different accident. The 55-year-old bus driver was reportedly traveling on Expressway Drive North close to Horseblock Road in Medford when the crash occurred.

The officer in the vehicle had been using his car to block off traffic while other law enforcement officials addressed the accident scene. He suffered minor back and neck injuries in the collision. He was treated at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, and later released.

According to police, the driver is employed by Acme Bus Company, which is based in Ronkonkoma. Authorities say she smelled strongly of alcohol at the accident scene. She was later arrested and then charged with driving while intoxicated.

Often in accident cases involving bus drivers, the bus company itself will be a defendant in any ensuing personal injury litigation. However, several factors here make the driver solely responsible. First, the accident occurred outside the scope of the driver’s work, as she was not performing driving duties for her company at the time of the accident. Second, she was drunk at the time of the accident, which means that even if she had been driving her bus during her work hours, she would still have primary liability in the accident.

If you have been injured in an accident involving a drunk driver, call on the dedicated auto accident lawyers at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP right away.