A tearful and apologetic Lansdowne woman was taken to the Delaware County jail today, a day after she drove her car into three boys walking home from school in Upper Darby, hitting one so hard he was knocked out of his shoes.

Two of the boys remained in critical condition today, including a 12-year-old who was on a respirator and in a medically induced coma.

Dawn Denise Snell, 42, of the 200 block of Hansell Road, was being held with bail set at $1 million cash. She is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, and a host of motor vehicle counts including reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Snell was speeding in her Dodge Charger eastbound on Marshall Road shortly after noon Tuesday when she lost control of the car and swerved toward a group of five boys, Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood at a news conference this morning at Upper Darby police headquarters.

She struck two boys, then hit a third as her car hurtled along the sidewalk, ramming a parked car before coming to a stop 500 feet from the first site of impact, Chitwood said. The parked car was pushed 15 feet.

The injured boys, seventh graders at Beverly Hills Middle School, were identified as Jemel Brunswick, 13; Philmon Beyene, 12; and Tyler Lowery, 12.

Brunswick and Beyene were reported to be in "extremely critical" condition, Chitwood said.

Both boys had surgery Tuesday night at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to relieve pressure on their brains.

Brunswick was also suffering from multiple facial fractures, pelvic injuries and a serious wound to one of his lungs, Chitwood said.

Beyene - who remained in a medically induced coma and on a respirator - was being treated for a fractured skull, multiple pelvic fractures and a lacerated pancreas. He also underwent surgery to save his right leg, Chitwood said.

Lowery was in stable condition, and has spoken to medical staff and detectives, Chitwood said.

Snell told police she was rushing to get her daughter to the 69th Street Terminal to catch a train to Norristown, Chitwood said. Before the accident, she ran a red light at Long Lane and crossed into the oncoming lane to avoid a line of traffic, he said. That's when she hit the boys, who were heading home after an early release from school for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Chitwood said eyewitnesses indicated that Snell, who was driving a car she borrowed from a family member, tried to flee the scene.

"Every one of them said there was no doubt she was trying to get away," Chitwood said. "She probably stopped because she couldn't see after the impact on the car," which smashed the driver's side window and windshield.

The daughter, who spoke briefly with reporters prior to the news conference, said that Snell lost control of the car, but that she wasn't speeding and didn't try to leave the scene. The daughter declined to give her name or her age.

When asked what happened after the car struck the boys, the daughter said that Snell "just started screaming."

Police did not find skid marks at the crash scene and have so far found no evidence of a mechanical error with the car, Chitwood said. Police are awaiting toxicology results to determine if Snell was impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Chitwood said Snell's actions go beyond a simple accident.

"The tragedy of these three young men and the way they were hit, that was not oh, haphazardly driving down the street," he said. "That was careless reckless, criminal."

Asked about the high bail, Chitwood said, "You could have two dead young men before the weekend is over."