Off-Duty Driver Suspected of DUI After Bus Crash
An off-duty bus driver with a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit drove a bus through a brick wall and into trees and parked cars in Norwalk, authorities said Monday.
John Wilson, 46, of Paramount was driving south on the 605 Freeway about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when he took the Imperial Highway exit at high speed and could not make the right turn, said Lt. Mike Connolly of the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station.
The bus knocked down the wall, trees, iron fencing and stucco pillars. It hit three cars before stopping in front of a house on Popular Place, Connolly said. Nobody was injured.
It wasn’t clear why Wilson, who was not working and was not following a route, was driving the bus.
He was booked on suspicion of drunk driving and released. His blood-alcohol level was 0.22%, Connolly said. The legal limit is 0.08%.
The bus, which bears the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s insignia, is operated by subcontractor First Transit, said MTA spokesman Rick Jager. First Transit supplies and maintains the buses and provides the bus operators, he said.
It was towed from the scene.
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