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Guilty plea from Red Deer woman who crashed school bus with kids on board

Sep 6, 2017 | 1:59 PM

RED DEER, ALTA -— A Red Deer woman who was behind the wheel of a school bus when it crashed with students on board has admitted to being impaired at the time of the collision.

Shelly Kolodychuk, 42, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to a count of operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol level over 80mg.

It was on the afternoon of June 5 when a bus carrying 18 students from École Barrie Wilson School, between the ages of 5 and 12 years old, struck a tree in the Vanier Woods neighbourhood.

A witness who observed the collision called 911 after the bus collided with a tree and a sign, then continued to drive for a short distance before stopping. No one was injured.

An agreed statement of facts read in Red Deer court revealed that a container with alcohol that smelled “fruity” was discovered on Kolodychuk’s bus following the crash.

Kolodychuk provided two breath samples which registered a blood-alcohol level of 200mg.

She was joined by several family members when she entered her guilty plea.

Sentencing will take place on Nov. 6. That’s when three other counts against Kolodychuk – impaired operation of a motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and fail to remain at the scene of a collision – will be dropped.