Woman Charged With Drunk Driving In School Bus Crash On Route 24 In Berkley
BERKLEY (CBS) – A Rhode Island woman is charged with driving drunk in a crash with a school bus that left several people with serious injuries.
Massachusetts State Police say 27-year-old Christy Gilpatrick was drunk when her 2014 Subaru Impreza collided with a school bus on Route 24 in Berkley around 9:45 p.m. Saturday. Both vehicles ended up in the woods.
"People there said the bus rolled three times. The action investigators are saying it didn't but of course things can get juggled up," said Berkley Fire Chief Scott Fournier. "If it did roll over, that had to be one rough ride."
The bus was heading back to Tiverton, Rhode Island with 23 people who had just visited the holiday display at the La Salette Shrine in Attleboro. The bus passengers ranged in age from infants to elderly adults, said Fournier.
"Evaluation at the hospitals by medical personnel led to determinations that more victims than initially thought suffered serious injuries, including multiple fractures," State Police said in a statement Sunday night. Among those hurt were multiple children, including one who was taken to a Boston hospital for further treatment.
The others were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, St. Anne's Hospital, Charlton Memorial Hospital, and Morton Hospital. Many victims remain hospitalized.
"We immediately started triaging and closed the highway down so we could get in the mass of ambulances," said Fournier.
It's still not clear what caused the crash.
"It has not yet been determined whether Gilpatrick had a role in causing it," State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement Sunday. Investigators are also looking to see if any other cars were also involved.
Gilpatrick, who lives in Warren, Rhode Island, was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol second offense, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violation.
She spent the night at Ashe Street Jail in New Bedford where she's being held on $10,000 bail.
All lanes of Route 24 were reopened by 1:30 a.m.