MILWAUKEE — A woman has been charged after prosecutors say she drove without a license and t-boned a Milwaukee County bus, leaving her 2-year-old in critical condition.
Shannon Sutters, 23, was charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety and knowingly operate motor vehicle without a valid license - cause great bodily harm.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Sherman and Burleigh on Saturday, April 29.
According to a criminal complaint, the driver of the Nissan Altima, later identified as Sutters, was not on the scene when police arrived. The bus driver said Sutters got out of the car after the crash with a child before getting into another car and being driven away. Police were later notified that Sutters and the child arrived at a hospital.
Sutters allegedly admitted she was driving the Nissan with her 2-year-old child in the car. Her son was in the backseat and not in a car seat or booster. The child was taken to Children's Hospital for significant head trauma and remains in critical condition.
The bus driver, who was also injured in the crash, said he had the green light at the intersection when the bus was suddenly struck by Sutters. There was one passenger on the bus at the time of the crash.
VIDEO | Surveillance video shows crash involving MCTS bus.
The criminal complaint says pole camera shows Sutters run a red light, nearly hit a pedestrian, and then slam into the Milwaukee County bus as the bus is halfway through the intersection.
Sutters told investigators that while driving, her car's dashboard went out and the "engine didn't seem to 'catching' either." She said she was going to pull over after she got through the intersection, and knew she was going through a red light but did not see the bus.
At the time of the crash, Sutters said her son unbuckled himself and was crawling to the front of the car. Following the crash, Sutters says her son was not conscious so she waved down a ride to take them to the hospital. The complaint says all three seatbelts in the backseat were fastened.
If convicted, Sutters faces a maximum of 13.5 years in prison and a $35,000 fine.
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