devlin-van.jpg
This June 2014 photo shows the detached bumper from John Devlin's sedan that crashed with a special needs service van in West Brighton. Devlin has pleaded guilty to drunken driving. (Staten Island Advance/Vincent Barone)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Westerleigh man, whose car last year hit a service van that witnesses said was carrying special needs adults, sending six people to the hospital, has admitted to drunken driving.
John Devlin, 59, has pleaded guilty in Stapleton Criminal Court to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated, according to information from District Attorney Daniel Donovan's office.
Devlin, who was driving a blue Honda Civic, struck the van and careened into a tree, witnesses said. Police said Devlin smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred and he admitted to drinking before the crash.
Fire trucks and ambulances responded to the wreck, and one woman said she heard crash victims screaming in distress.
Emergency responders aided a total of 13 people on-scene, including six who were taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, or Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, an FDNY spokesman said.
Devlin was taken to University Hospital, said police.
The defendant was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and his license was revoked for six months, online state court records show. He was fined $500 and must install an ignition interlock device on his car should his license be reinstated.
Devlin must also attend a victim-impact panel. The panel puts individuals face-to-face with victims of drunken drivers and their families, who relate their stories of loss and pain.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.