A 46-year-old school bus driver sustained injuries to her arm and neck on Tuesday, Sept. 24, when she was rear-ended by a reckless driver outside of I.S. 5: The Walter Crowley Intermediate School in Elmhurst, according to police.
Police say the school bus was parked outside the Elmhurst school, located at 75-02 51 Ave., when a 32-year-old man operating a 2023 Jeep crashed into the back of the bus.
According to information from the office of Council Member Robert Holden, eyewitness accounts of the incident claim the Jeep driver attempted to drive around another bus while it was offloading children, but he lost control and crashed into the parked school bus instead.
No children were reported injured in the car crash. Photos shared with the Council Member’s office and made public reveal the Jeep’s front end completely smashed, suggesting the high speed at which it was traveling.
A search of the crashed Jeep owner’s license plate, conducted by Councilman Holden’s office using the How’s My Driving Database, revealed the vehicle had racked up 38 violations in the past two years, totaling thousands of dollars in tickets and fines. Many of these violations were for school zone camera and red light offenses, with the most recent occurring just weeks before the crash.
Holden, who represents District 30, is calling for increased traffic enforcement around schools and tougher penalties for reckless drivers.
“This reckless driver endangered children and others because he felt the rules didn’t apply to him,” said Holden. “With a history like this, including violations in school zones, it’s clear he should not be behind the wheel. We need stronger enforcement and to impound vehicles of repeat offenders to prevent them from putting more lives at risk.”
Holden’s office shared that the council member has already reached out to the 110th Precinct and NYPD Transportation to improve safety in school zones and ensure that drivers who violate traffic laws face appropriate consequences.
