NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A 35-year-old Norristown woman is facing charges for a September crash that killed her toddler.
Arbetina Johnson-Lowery is charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence for a crash in East Norriton around 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, at Old Arch Road and Johnson Highway.
According to a criminal complaint, Johnson-Lowery is accused of driving an unregistered vehicle on a suspended license when she crashed head-on into a stopped SEPTA bus, which was unloading passengers. She was driving 15 to 20 mph over the 35 mph speed limit in a Mazda minivan.
Her 14-month-old son was in a car seat but was not properly strapped in. Officials said he was found on the floor of the backseat. He died at the hospital from blunt impact head injuries.
Johnson-Lowery had to be extracted from the car and suffered multiple injuries. The SEPTA bus driver was also taken to the hospital for a knee injury.
Detectives said they found two empty bottles of Yukon Jack whiskey in the minivan, along with a cigarette pack that had two partially smoked marijuana joints and a foil packet of cocaine.
Investigators said blood tests found she had methamphetamine, cocaine and bromazolam — a designer drug that’s described as similar to fentanyl and is not approved for medical use — as well as trace levels of alcohol.
Johnson-Lowery’s driver’s license had been suspended since September 2018, investigators added, and the Mazda’s registration had been suspended for a year.
Johnson-Lowery is facing a list of charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI.