Three Delaware County children spent Thanksgiving in the hospital after being struck Tuesday afternoon by a driver while walking home from Beverly Hills Middle School.
Dawn Denise Snell, 42, of Lansdowne, is being held on $1 million bail on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and motor-vehicle violations.
Police say that she was speeding down Marshall Road in a Dodge Charger when she blew a red light and hit the children - one of them so forcefully that he was knocked out of his shoes.
"I'm sorry. It was an accident," Snell said, sobbing, as she was taken to county prison Wednesday.
The victims are seventh-graders Jemel Brunswick, 13, Philmon Beyene, 12, and Tyler Lowery, 12.
Brunswick, who has several broken bones and a lung injury, was in critical but stable condition yesterday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Beyene, who was being treated for a fractured skull and other injuries, remained at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in critical but stable condition, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. Lowery was in stable condition at Children's. His injuries are less severe.
Brunswick and Beyene had surgery for brain swelling, Chitwood said. "What the long-term consequences are, I couldn't tell you," he said. "They're going to be in the hospital for a long time."
Snell told police that she was rushing to 69th Street to get her daughter on a train to Norristown when she hit the boys.
Police are awaiting toxicology results to determine if Snell was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Court records show that she was guilty in 2003 of driving while her operating privileges were suspended or revoked.
A vigil is set for 6 p.m. Sunday at Christ Lutheran Community Church, 7240 Walnut St., Upper Darby. The mayor, school superintendent and other officials are expected to attend.
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