A 1-year-old boy was killed after his mother – who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol – crashed into a SEPTA bus in Montgomery County, investigators said.
On Sept. 30, 2023, shortly before 2:45 p.m., Arbetina Johnson-Lowery, 35, of Norristown, was driving a Mazda MPV minivan eastbound on East Johnson Highway in East Norriton Township, Pennsylvania, investigators said. Johnson-Lowery’s 14-month-old son was inside the vehicle at the time, according to police.
At the same time, a SEPTA bus had stopped on East Johnson Highway to unload passengers. Johnson-Lowery continued driving the van at a high speed when it made slight contact with the bumper of a vehicle in front of it and then crashed into the driver’s side of the SEPTA bus, investigators said. Police determined the Mazda was traveling between 47 and 50 mph in a 35-mph zone just before it struck the bus.
Police responded to the crash and found Johnson-Lowery trapped inside the vehicle while her son was on the backseat floorboard suffering from severe injuries.
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The child was transported to Suburban Hospital before being flown by helicopter to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he later died from blunt impact injuries to his head.
Johnson-Lowery was extracted from the minivan and taken to the hospital where she was treated for multiple injuries. The driver of the SEPTA bus also suffered a knee injury and was treated at the hospital.
While processing the scene, detectives found two empty bottles of whiskey, cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine inside the minivan, investigators said. Police also found a child’s car seat in the backseat of the van but the restraints were not correctly set for the child’s size, according to investigators.
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Johnson-Lowery underwent testing and investigators found Bromazolam – a designer drug similar to fentanyl – as well as methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol in her system, investigators said.
Investigators also determined Johnson-Lowery was driving with a driver’s license that had been suspended since September 2018 while the registration of her vehicle had been suspended on Jan. 21, 2023, for insurance cancellation.
Johnson-Lowery was charged with homicide by vehicle – DUI, DUI, accidents involving death while not properly licensed, recklessly endangering another person and other related offenses.
Johnson-Lowery turned herself in to police on Jan. 5 and was arraigned. Her bail was set at $500,000 unsecured with a condition of no driving. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
