via MattarMedia -BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) -- 23-year old Michael O'Connor will serve 1-year in jail after killing a man in a DWI accident back in 2008.

O'Connor was sentenced today in court on charges stemming from the incident that killed 51-year old Thomas Hajduk after a Bills game in November of 2008.

O'Connor had dropped off some friends in Lancanster and struck Hajduk while he was walking his dog on Aurora Street.

O'Connor expressed remorse in the court room before sentencing, however the victim's family says O'Connor already had a second chance after being convicted of prior DWI offense.

School bus accident on Grand Island

Via MattarMedia GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) - A bus slammed into a tree head on while on Whitehaven Road on Grand Island.

Twenty-two elementary aged students were believed to be on the bus at the time. None of their injuries are believed to be serious.

News 4 is told another vehicle was also involved in the crash. The extent of their injuries is unknown, however, they have been taken to ECMC.

Despite the the damage there are no serious injuries.

The female bus driver has been taken to the hospital. One boy suffered a cut and his parents took him to their pediatrician. The children must all be checked out individually.

The cause is under investigation. Erie County Sheriff's Office said it appears the car may have failed to yield to the right of way, but that is not yet confirmed.

Driver who hit mother is arrested

Via MattarMedia BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo Police have made an arrest in an accident that caused a mother to lose her leg.

Steven Cavarello is now in custody.

Police said he struck Sarah Gregory on South Park Avenue back in September.

Her left leg had to be amputated.

Cavarello is charged with vehicular assault and driving under the influence of drugs.

Two flee crime, crash into trooper SUV

Via MattarMedia CLARENCE, N.Y. (WIVB) - State Police arrested two people accused of crashing into a trooper's SUV while fleeing a crime scene.

Troopers said Theodore Calhoun and Tracy Sylvester tried to steal cigarettes from a Kwil Fill at Main and Kraus in Clarence.

Guilty plea in fatal crash with officer

Via MattarMedia BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Town of Boston man now awaits his punishment, after admitting he was drunk when he struck and killed an off-duty Buffalo Police officer this summer.

It's been three months, but the wounds are still fresh for the the family of Buffalo Police officer Jose Colon. They didn't want to talk as they left the courtroom, Wednesday afternoon.

The 39-year-old officer was killed in July when his SUV was struck on the 190 in South Buffalo.

It happened early in the morning when the officer when heading home from work.

"This young man from the day it happened wanted to accept responsibility for this I mean, he really feels bad, it was an accident," said Defense Attorney Andrew LoTempio.

Wednesday, 22-year-old Raymond Jamison Jr. admitted to being drunk behind the wheel that morning of the accident.

He pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide, two charges of vehicular assault for injuring two passengers in his car, and DWI.

LoTempio said, "Unfortunately, this could happen to just about anybody who goes out on a Friday or Saturday night and drinks too much."

LoTempio says that Jamison is undergoing alcohol counseling following the incident.

"Actually there's reason to believe the accident might have happened regardless of the alcohol," LoTempio added.

But Raymond Jamison is taking full responsibility.

He'll be sentenced in January and could face up to four years behind bars.

Bus driver admits to drunk driving

Via MattarMedia BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - An Alleghany County woman who was trusted to drive dozens of students back and forth to school has admitted being drunk behind the wheel.

A former bus driver for the Alfred Almond School District admits she was driving so erratically while under the influence that students were forced to jump out the emergency exit.

55 year old, Martha Thompson pleaded not guilty to more than 74 charges including DWI, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Back in May, Thompson was driving more than three dozen students ages 5 to 15 home from school with a blood alcohol content of .15.

That's almost twice the legal limit and almost eight times the limit for a driver with a commercial license.

The Alfred Almond School Board accepted her resignation in June.

Thompson, a wife and mother is also the assessor for the Town of Andover.

She faces weekends in jail for six months, six months ankle bracelet, five years probation, a $1,000 fine, license taken away for two years and alcohol treatment required.

She could go to state prison if she violates her probation.

Two kids are in counseling from the incident.

Driver in crash left license plate behind

Via MattarMedia - A motorist who ran over a mailbox and knocked down a Route 249 sign in North Collins on Tuesday night left a calling card when he fled—his license plate.

Mark A. Smutek, of Eagle Crest Drive, was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to keep right and marijuana possession, police said.

Deputies responding to Sisson Highway shortly after 9:45 p. m. Tuesday found the plate, which had broken off. Authorities said Deputies Chris Parisi and George Avery stopped the vehicle in the Eagle Crest area of Springville and found about 10 grams of marijuana.

Two pedestrians injured in hit-and-run accident

Via MattarMedia - Two pedestrians, one of them an 11-year-old boy, were injured in a hit-and-run accident on Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo on Monday night, and police have arrested a possible suspect on an unrelated marijuana charge.

The accident occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m., when witnesses told police that a vehicle northbound on Delaware Avenue ran the red light at Hinman Avenue and struck the two people who were crossing the street.

Candice King, 38, of Delsan Court, Buffalo, was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition this afternoon.

An 11-year-old boy, believed to be her son, was taken to Women & Children's Hospital with injuries that were described by witnesses as non-life-threatening.

Northwest District officers tracked the vehicle to a Skillen Street residence. When they arrived to investigate, they said they spotted marijuana in plain view.

Officer Brandon Hawkins charged Reginald Zinnerman, 29, of Skillen Street, with marijuana possession. Zinnerman has not been charged in the accident, which remains under investigation.

Church Road closed after crash in Cambria

Via MattarMedia CAMBRIA - Mercy Flight was called to the scene of a one-vehicle crash about 11:30 a.m. today, after the vehicle hit a tree at 4210 Church Road, splitting the tree.

Emergency workers have closed Church Road, between routes 93 and 104.

Ransomville and Cambria volunteer firefighters and ambulance have been called to the scene.

Two people were in the vehicle, according to Niagara County authorities, although the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Seven Buffalo school children injured on west side

Via MattarMedia BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Seven Buffalo school children suffered minor injuries after two buses collided Monday morning on the city's west side.

It happened at the corner of Herkimer and West Delavan.

Rural Metro transported the injured students to Women & Children's for evaluation and treatment.

A neighborhood parent says one bus ran a stop sign. She says this is a dangerous intersection.

"It's always been an issue at this corner that it should be a four way stop. And they're going to wait until something more tragic than what just occurred this morning to happen before they do something about it. It's something that needs to be addressed immediately. There's a school right down the street, children have to walk to school independently," said Darlene Gugino.

News 4 is waiting to hear from police about any charges in connection with the bus collision.

One-in-five U.S. drivers admit to texting: survey

Via Mattar Media WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nearly one-in-five U.S. drivers surveyed have read or sent a text message while behind the wheel even though nearly all of the respondents in an AAA survey released on Friday considered it unacceptable.
"The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives and increasingly popular social media sites present a hard-to-resist challenge to the typically safe driver," AAA chief executive Robert Darbelnet said in a statement accompanying the survey commissioned by the AAA Foundation.
"Enacting texting bans for drivers in all 50 states can halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists nationwide, and is a key legislative priority for AAA in state capitals," Darbelnet said. The group, which provides emergency road services to its members and lobbies on automobile issues, formerly was known as the American Automobile Association.
The random telephone survey questioned 2,500 U.S. residents 16 and older in April and May.
Although nearly all respondents considered the practice unacceptable, 18 percent said they had sent a text message while driving within a month of being surveyed.
Most data available on texting and driving is anecdotal but the U.S. Transportation Department is seeking more information as pressure grows to ban the practice. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will hold a two-day conference on distracted drivers next week in Washington.
Separately on Friday, 93 percent of 1,000 licensed drivers responding to a survey commissioned by Ford Motor Co supported a nationwide ban on texting while behind the wheel. AAA says surveys of its members also favor a ban, a step that is supported by Ford and other major automakers.
About a dozen states have imposed prohibitions and proposals for a national ban have been introduced in Congress.
The wireless industry -- including cellphone manufacturers, carriers, and some Internet companies represented by the CTIA-Wireless Association -- support state and local efforts to ban texting while driving.

Four car crash snarls traffic

via MattarMedia BUFFALO NY (WIVB) - An expressway accident snarled traffic Saturday night in Buffalo.

Emergency crews were called to the junction of the 33 and the 198 shortly after 7 p.m. Four cars were involved in the crash and some were heavily damaged.

There were minor injuries as a result of the accident, but those who were injured signed off for medical treatment at the scene, Bolton said. The Rome Fire Department and AmCare Ambulance assisted.

Motorcycle crash shut down parts of 198

via MattarMedia BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - An early morning motorcyle crash in Buffalo shut down part of the Scajaquada Expressway for hours.

It happened in the west-bound lanes of the 198, a little before 1 a.m. Wednesday. Police have not released any names or conditions.

Car slams into crowd of people

via MattarMedia BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) - A car drove right into a crowd of people in Buffalo Saturday afternoon, injuring a young girl. Nearly 25 people including many children were getting ready for a neighborhood carnival on Genesee and Goodyear. All of a sudden, a man's car veered out of control, hitting everything in his path.

Sanora Moore pointed out the skid marks left behind by the driver. Moore said, "He came through the barricade. He came down the street. You can see the skid tire marks on the street."

The driver crashed through tables of food and hit two people, including Sanora Moore and Melissa Gravely's three-year-old niece. At one point, the two women tell News 4 he was driving on the sidewalk! Gravely said, "He stopped down there and then I was waving my hands like this to tell him not to come down."

But for some reason, the man just kept on driving and before she knew it, he was heading in their direction. Gravely said, "We were standing right here and then he stopped on the sidewalk and then he took off, then I jumped over there."
Gravely was hanging balloons with her niece for the neighborhood carnival.

Gravely said, "It was just a loud bang. And before I knew it, he just skid up and he actually knocked me and my niece but once I grabbed her, I tried to grab her and I flipped over there on the grass and before I knew it she was rolling up under the car." The white car eventually stopped after slamming into a utility pole, leaving nearly 25 people who were standing outside in disbelief.

Moore said, "I'm shaken up, I'm angry. He hit my niece she's now in Children's. Hopefully, she's okay." It turns out her three-year-old niece is okay. She suffered minor injuries. We don't have an update yet for the other victim. Police said the driver suffered a medical condition.

New Hartford Car Accident Sends 3 to Hospital

via MattarMedia New Hartford, NY (WKTV) According to the New Hartford dispatch center, two cars "t-boned" at the intersection of Mohawk Street and Higby Road, around 8:15 Sunday morning.

Dispatchers say three injuries have been reported, and the jaws of life was needed to take at least one passenger out of the vehicle. The dispatcher says all three people were transported to the hospital.