By SaharaReporters, New York
In a freak accident, a Nigerian bus driver
said to be using his cell phone, lost control
of the vehicle which hit and knocked over a
lamp post that fell on and killed an 8 month
old baby girl.
The driver, Idowu Daramola, 48, was
driving in West New York, New Jersey, on
Tuesday afternoon when the tragic incident
occured. He was charged with reckless
driving, using a cellphone while driving and
death by auto.
Authorities in West New York said the
bus crashed into a lamppost, which fell onto
a baby stroller. The bus then hit a tree,
another lamppost and a parked car, which
struck three other parked vehicles.
Officer Michael Stetson says he found the
infant, Angela Paredes, bleeding from the
head and not breathing. She died on the
way to a hospital. Seven other people were
hurt in the incident.
The bus was reportedly operated by Sphinx
Transportation, which provides shuttle
service between New Jersey and New York
City. The company has not commented on
the accident.
"I heard a loud crash and people
screaming," said Iris Pizarro, who lives in an
apartment building across the street. "That's
when I ran to the window and saw the
mother over the baby screaming, "My
daughter! My baby!"
Daramola, who resides in Thornwood,
NY, could face 10 years in prison if
convicted of all the charges. He is scheduled
to appear in court on Thursday and is being
held on $250,000 bail.
It is not uncommon to see shuttle drivers,
mostly immigrants, talking on cellphones as
they drive although it has been a violation
of state law since 2007. It was not known at
press time whether Daramola was texting
or talking on his cell when the tragedy
occured.

source: saharareporters.com/news-page/nigerian-bus-driver-cell-phone-crashes-bus-kills-infant-girl-west-new-york