A Liverpool Central School District bus carrying students to the high school was rear-ended Friday morning by a driver impaired by prescription drugs and texting, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department.
Bus No. 310 was headed to Liverpool High School at approximately 7:14 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, when it stopped at a traffic light in front of Seneca Mall at the intersection of Pine Hollow Road and Route 57. The bus, driven by Cheryl Milazzo, 51, was then rear-ended by Christopher Cappuccilli, 28, of Camillus.
Cappuccilli’s car, a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, was crushed beneath the rear of the bus. Rescue crews from the Moyers Corners Fire Department had to cut the roof from the car and extricate him from the vehicle. Onondaga County Sheriff’s Detective John Seeber said it looked much worse than it was.
“From the initial look of things, rescue personnel couldn’t tell how severe [Cappuccilli’s injuries were],” Seeber said. “He was unconscious when [EMTs] arrived on the scene. They had to extricate him with special equipment. As it turned out, it was just a relatively minor injury, but when you’re dealing with pressure like that on the head and chest, it can end up being fatal.”
Cappuccilli was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where he was ultimately charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, failure to stay in designated lane and texting while driving. Seeber said Cappuccilli was on a combination of prescription drugs, but declined to say what drugs. Cappuccilli was issued traffic tickets and is scheduled to appear in Clay Town Court at a later date.
None of the 38 students on the bus were injured, and the district sent another bus to transport the students to school. All were assessed by the school nurse upon arrival.
