Last Thursday, a 9-year-old boy was severely injured after being struck by a vehicle moments after he got off a school bus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Identified by family members as Yonis Rodriguez, the young boy was airlifted to Boston Children's Hospital with head trauma, internal bleeding, and multiple bone fractures, reported WCVB.
The driver, 44-year-old Tiffany Zembower, is now facing a slew of charges including operating under the influence of liquor with negligent operation and serious injury, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and failure to stop for a school bus. Zembower also had an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and was previously convicted for OUI in Salem, New Hampshire, District Court in August 2022. A judge has set her bail at $25,000, with release conditions that she abstain from driving and consuming alcohol, and submit to remote breath alcohol monitoring. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 2, as stated by NBC Boston.
The accident took place at the intersection of Main Street and 13th Avenue around 5:30 p.m., where according to witnesses, Zembower's Toyota Tacoma was traveling between 40-45 mph. The vehicle did not slow down despite the activated red warning lights and mechanically extended stop sign of the halted school bus. Haverhill police confirmed finding five mini bottles of alcohol in Zembower's truck. The bus driver attempted to warn both the approaching vehicle and the child by honking her horn and flashing her lights, however, it was too late, as mentioned in WCVB's coverage.
The local school district has communicated its support for the traumatized students and educators, stating counselors would be made available at Pentucket Lake School. "We will have counselors at the Pentucket Lake School for friends, classmates, and staff," stated Haverhill Public Schools Superintendent Margaret Marotta in an email referenced by NBC Boston, according to Hoodline. The school district's message also called on the community to keep the injured student and his family in their thoughts and prayers.
His sister, Stephanie Bonilla, in a interview with NBC10 Boston, expressed her resolve to be strong for her family, saying, "I know he wouldn’t want me to cry."
