Sabattus children were on their way home from school Monday afternoon when a Lewiston woman who was allegedly under the influence of drugs at the time collided with the bus. Then the kids got onto a second bus that police say was hit a “very short time later” by another car.
Sabattus police Chief Shelia Wetherbee said that the first RSU 4 bus was traveling east on Bowdoinham Road and stopped at the intersection of Beaver Road about 2:26 p.m. when a 2001 Ford Escape driven by 29-year-old Jami Lee Driscoll rear-ended the bus. The bus had flashing lights on and its “stop” bar was out.
A 12-year-old who complained of pain was examined by paramedics at the scene, but was not taken to a local hospital at her parents’ request, Wetherbee said. No other injuries were reported.
Driscoll was charged with operating under the influence and an evaluation at the Sabattus Police Department determined she was under the influence of an “unknown” drug or drugs, according to the police chief. Driscoll was later released.
The bus sustained only minor damage, but Sabattus police Lt. Daniel Davies said the children were transferred to a second bus that was hit “a very short time later” on Bowdoinham Road by a hit-and-run driver.
The Maine State Police are investigating the second crash, Davies said. Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday a trooper assisted Sabattus police with the second collision and described the vehicle that struck the bus as a white utility truck. It was last seen on Bowdoinham Road, he said.