High school students act fast to stop bus driver who police say was drunk at the wheel

FRANKLINVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — A group of high school students and their quick thinking brought them to safety after their bus driver was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of their bus.

Franklinville police told News 4 the driver of the bus was 35-year-old Natalie Alvut. Police said that she was charged with 12 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated driving while intoxicated as a felony and misdemeanor for an incident that happened Thursday night.

Police told News 4 that Alvut blew a 0.2 on a breathalyzer test.

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Kate Michaelis, a waitress at Ischua Valley Country Club, said on Thursday around 10 p.m. a group of a dozen students entered the restaurant “crying hysterically” and saying that they think their bus driver was drunk.

When Michaelis asked the students why they thought that, she was told that the driver was swerving on the road and “driving erratically.”

The students were from Mount Mercy Academy and were on their way back from a field trip at Holiday Valley. But the driver, Alvut, was driving in the wrong direction. She was heading to Franklinville when they needed to go to South Buffalo.

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The waitress says the students begged the driver to pull over so they could use the bathroom. That’s when the bus stopped at the Ischua Valley Country Club.

Michaelis said she is thankful the restaurant was open that late because nothing else in the town is.

She also says she’s impressed the students were able to get the driver to pull over before something worse happened.

In a letter sent to parents on Friday, Head of School Michele Melligan wrote, “We are deeply troubled to report that an employee was operating a school bus with students on board and was charged. The incident is still being investigated by the proper authorities. However, based on the information received thus far, the employee has been terminated.”

According to the school’s website, Alvut was also a science teacher at Mount Mercy Academy.

A court date for Alvut has not been set yet.

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Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.

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