Suspected drunk driver crashes into Riverbank school bus, girl seriously injured

A 4-year-old girl suffered major injuries Tuesday afternoon when her allegedly drunk mother crashed into a school bus.

A California Highway Patrol news release on Wednesday indicated the girl was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. The CHP said the girl did not appear to be restrained in a child safety seat during the crash.

Linda Villela, the girl’s mother, was given a field sobriety test after the crash and subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Officer Eric Parsons, a CHP spokesman, on Tuesday evening said the girl suffered a head injury.

Eleven elementary-age students on the bus were examined by paramedics. Three children complained of pain, but none were hospitalized or required treatment, the CHP reported. The schoolchildren were loaded onto another bus and taken home.

The crash occurred about 3 p.m. at the intersection of Patterson Road and Howard Avenue. The CHP said Villela, 25, of Riverbank was driving a 1995 Honda Accord and heading east on Patterson, approaching Howard in heavy traffic.

Delayne Coker, 55, of Riverbank was driving the school bus and heading north on Howard, which ends at Patterson. The bus had stopped at a stop sign at the intersection, waiting to turn right onto Patterson.

Parsons said a Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy in a patrol vehicle was heading east on Patterson and had stopped at the intersection to let the bus make a right turn onto Patterson. He said the deputy did not have a stop sign, but had stopped to let the bus go.

Several other vehicles stopped behind the deputy’s patrol vehicle. The CHP said Villela pulled onto the right shoulder, passed all of the other vehicles and hit the left front side of the bus as it was making the right turn.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Villela was being held at the Stanislaus County Jail. Her bail was set at $50,000. Her first court appearance had not been scheduled.

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Suspected drunk driver crashes into Riverbank school bus, girl seriously injured."