Mamaroneck bus driver who killed mother, son in crosswalk cited for failing to yield, police say
MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- A school bus driver who struck and killed a woman and her son on a busy road in Mamaroneck will not face criminal charges, police said.
Investigators determined Molly Donovan and her son Michael Volpe entered the crosswalk on Mamaroneck Avenue when a "Don't Walk" signal was flashing. The bus driver was turning left onto Mamaroneck Ave. when he hit Donovan and her son, a 6-year-old in kindergarten.
Bus driver was likely distracted by ambulance, police say
An accident reconstruction determined the bus driver, a 68-year-old retired mechanic with a clean driving record, was likely distracted by an approaching ambulance when he struck the woman and boy as they walked to school on June 20.
While the bus driver is not criminally charged, police said he is being cited for failing to yield to pedestrians and using his cellphone two minutes before the accident, which surveillance video from on board the school bus shows.
"He just simply did not see them"
The driver stayed at the scene, gave a blood sample and fully cooperated, police said on the day of the crash.
"He just simply did not see them. We think he was preoccupied with the first group of pedestrians crossing the crosswalk. We can see on video that he follows them. He stops, follows them through the crosswalk, but when he turns back and presses the gas, that's when Michael and Molly start to cross the street," Mamaroneck Police Lt. P.J. Trujillo said at Friday's news conference.
Mamaroneck Avenue safety overhaul
Extensive safety improvements have been made up and down Mamaroneck Avenue since the deadly crash. Traffic lights have been retimed so all drivers stop and none may turn left or right when pedestrians are allowed to cross.
No one on board the special education school bus was injured in the crash.