‘I’m fine.’ Driver of UM bus is arrested on DUI charges after crash
A driver of a University of Miami bus full of students is accused of being drunk before a crash near campus Monday afternoon, according to Coral Gables police.
Timothy Kowalewski, 45, is accused of crashing into a tree and other objects on the side of the road along the 300 block of U.S. 1 around 3:30 p.m., according to police.
Officers said in his arrest report that he was “sweating profusely,” had bloodshot eyes, was slurring his speech, was unsteady on his feet and smelled of alcohol.
In cellphone video sent to NBC 6 South Florida, students confronted Kowalewski after the crash, asking him why he would drive a bus full of students while drunk. He responds, “I’m fine,” while appearing lackadaisical and confused sitting behind the wheel.
Kowalewski bonded out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Tuesday. He faces charges of driving under the influence, two counts of DUI resulting in property damage and refusing to take a sobriety test. Information about his legal counsel was not immediately available, and a person answering the phone of the number listed on his arrest report said it was the wrong number when the Miami Herald called on Tuesday.
The University of Miami said Kowalewski is not a school employee and released a statement that the crash is “under further investigation by the Coral Gables Police Department. The safety of our students, faculty and staff members, and the greater University community remains our top priority.”.
Kowalewski was wearing a patch with an Academy Bus Miami logo on his right sleeve in the video obtained by NBC 6. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comments from the Herald.
Kowalewski’s response to being asked if he had anything to drink was redacted from the report, but the officer followed up by asking him when he last had a drink, and that response was also redacted.
He refused to take a field sobriety test at the scene, and he refused to take a test to detect alcohol on his breath when he was taken to police headquarters, according to the report.
