A jitney bus driver who allegedly was using his cellphone when he crashed into a light pole that struck and killed an infant in northern New Jersey last year has been indicted on a vehicular homicide charge.

Idowu Daramola
Idowu Daramola (Image Courtesy of News 12 New Jersey)
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Idowu Daramola of Jamaica, N.Y., could face 10 years in prison if he's convicted. The indictment was handed up earlier this month by a Hudson County grand jury but was not made public until this week.

Authorities have said the 49-year-old Daramola was speeding and using his cell phone when he veered off a street in West New York last July, triggering a chain reaction accident. The bus struck a light pole which fell onto a stroller, killing 8-month old Angelie Paredes.

Paredes' parents are suing Daramola and the company that employed him, Boulevard Lines Inc. The family seeks unspecified damages in the lawsuit it filed earlier this month, and lawyers for the bus company have declined comment on the litigation.

Daramola remains free on $100,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

A law requiring tougher regulations for jitneys was named for Angelie.

 

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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