PITTSBURGH — Police arrested a mother after a U-Haul crashed at the bottom of a steep, dead-end street in Oakland on Monday, and investigators say the four young children inside were not wearing seat belts.
Officers say Tiona William was driving a U-Haul box truck and was more than three times the legal blood-alcohol limit when she struck a car near the Allegheny County Jail and kept going, authorities said. The other driver followed her and called the police.
William turned onto Lawn Street, a steep, dead-end street in Oakland. Tire marks and debris from the vehicle that remained at the scene could still be seen on Friday.
“It looks like they tried to make a U-turn…they really wasn’t an expert driver,” said neighbor Vince Wynn.
Police told Channel 11 that none of the four children were buckled in. One child was curled up in the passenger footwell, and medics said the youngest was wearing only a soiled diaper and had to be changed at the scene. A medic said the diaper appeared not to have been changed for at least a day.
Neighbors said hearing that children were involved made the crash especially upsetting. “Bad for everybody — for the kids, for her. Looking at jail time, losing her kids… it’s sad,” Wynn said.
William was taken into custody and faces charges related to driving under the influence and child endangerment. Police say the children are safe with their father.
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