School Bus Hit By Downed Wires In DWI Crash: Bloomingdale Police

BLOOMINGDALE, NJ — A drunk driver knocked a utility pole and wires over and onto a school bus Thursday afternoon, Bloomingdale Police said.

Police say Richard Brannigan, 37, lost control of his car while driving on Hamburg Turnpike around 3:21 p.m. on Thursday. Brannigan drove into the opposite lane and struck a utility pole, a digital sign, and finally, the flag pole in front of the Municipal Building, police say.

When the utility pole fell over, several wires fell on top of a school bus. No students were on board, and the driver was uninjured, but the bus was damaged.

Following the crash Brannigan got out of the car, police said, and seemed uninjured despite the airbags deploying. After he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for an evaluation, Brannigan was take to the police department and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, failure to keep right, failure to inspect his vehicle and a number of additional motor vehicle summonses, police said.

He was released to a family member with an upcoming court date.

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