THIS is the moment a mother and her two toddlers are mown down by an allegedly drunk driver as they leave a preschool.
Wild surveillance footage shows Patrice Pisani stepping out of Bloom Academy in Freehold Township around 3pm last Friday, flanked by her young boys.
Seconds later, a grey SUV suddenly barrels toward them.
Pisani is seen desperately yanking one boy out of the vehicle’s path just before the SUV smashes into a pillar near the front entrance.
The back of the vehicle clips her youngest son, knocking him to the ground – with the tire appearing to bounce off his leg.
The SUV continues rolling forward, slamming into Pisani and her other son, forcing them to the ground and pinning them against a metal railing.
Two women rush out of the school to help as the driver allegedly stumbles out of the wrecked vehicle.
New Jersey cops said the driver, identified as 68-year-old Angela Arrigo, of Manalapan, was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Officers responded to 350 Pond Road for reports of pedestrians struck by a vehicle, Freehold Township Police Captain Joseph Winowski told Patch.
Once at the scene, they allegedly determined Arrigo had been operating the SUV while intoxicated.
Arrigo has been charged with driving while intoxicated, assault by auto, and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
Pisani and her sons were rushed to a local hospital and later released.
Her youngest boy “took the brunt of the impact,” according to News12, and is being treated for a leg injury and burns from the undercarriage of the car.
Pisani suffered injuries to her back and neck, while her older son sustained minor injuries.
Pisani reportedly said the driver was there to pick up another child.
“We are deeply saddened by this incident,” school officials said.
“While we are grateful that the injury was not more severe, we remain committed to the safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff.”
It comes after an asphalt truck plunged into the ground between two massive sinkholes, prompting a state of emergency in another Jersey town.
In Phillipsburg, two sinkholes first opened Monday morning, authorities said, disrupting traffic and shutting down parts of the town.
The first hole reportedly opened near a garbage truck. A second later ensnared a car tire and ripped open a water line, forcing officials to close several streets.
The trapped car has since been removed, according to water service spokesperson Amanda Burgess.
But the chaos escalated when an asphalt dump truck rushed in to fill the craters.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15972271/mother-toddlers-hit-drunk-driver-preschool-escape-alive/
