Autistic man killed by driver

An autistic man died on Friday, January 19 after a driver whose license had been suspended a few weeks earlier ran a stop sign to collide with the school bus on which the man was a passenger.
According to police reports, 41-year-old Paul Donnelly was pronounced dead on arrival at Mary Immaculate Hospital, after experiencing breathing difficulties at the scene of the accident. The accident occurred at the intersection of Mayville Street with Mangin Avenue in St. Albans.
The City Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of Donnelly’s death.
Three other men, including the driver and matron, were taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center with neck, back or knee injuries. A fourth man was also taken to that hospital for observation.
The accident took place at approximately 3:30 p.m. when Dion Barnes, 19, failed to stop his1990 Acura at a sign as he traveled southbound on Mayville Street. Barnes struck the bus carrying a total of 33 people as it traveled westbound on Mangin Avenue, police said.
Police arrested Barnes at the scene after he was unable to produce a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance. At his arraignment before Judge Gene Lopez at Queens Criminal Court, he was charged with driving without insurance, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the third degree, failure to stop for a stop sign and driving by an unlicensed operator.
A spokesperson for the Department of Motor Vehicles said that Barnes received two suspensions on his license resulting from the accident. He also confirmed that Barnes had his license previously suspended on December 28, 2006 for failure to answer a summons. He did not elaborate on the cause of the summons.
Barnes, of 184-27 Galway Avenue in St. Albans, is scheduled to appear in court next on February 26.