Mother Allegedly Intoxicated In Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Son & Injured Levittown Couple

A Warminster woman was allegedly intoxicated when she caused an Upper Southampton crash that killed her son and injured a Levittown couple.

Kelly Anne Colbridge, 37, was arraigned early Tuesday evening on charges of homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, reckless endangerment, and numerous related offenses.

According to court papers filed Tuesday afternoon by Upper Southampton Detective James Schirmer, Colbridge was intoxicated on a mix of alcohol and medication when her Dodge sedan crossed the lanes of Street Road near Davisville Church and struck a Kia SUV with a Levittown couple headed home from a gathering around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.

Emergency responders were dispatched to the serious head-on crash and arrived to find Colbridge yelling out for help. She made no mention of her son – 8-year-old son Daniel T. Klaus – in the back seat with life-threatening injuries, police said.

An officer reportedly observed Colbridge and noted that she appeared intoxicated.

The boy, a third-grader at a nearby elementary school, was rushed from the crash scene to Abington Hospital in Montgomery County before being flown to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He suffered from a separation of his head from his spine and his expected outcome was “bleak,” police said.

Three days after the crash, the boy died at the hospital.

His cause of death following a review by a forensic pathologist was listed as “head and neck injuries,” according to autopsy results.

The couple from Levittown who were injured in the crash were taken to the hospital. The woman needed emergency surgery and the man sustained bruising to his pelvis and continues to have trouble walking, court papers stated. In a news release earlier this month, police said the couple’s injuries were non-life-threatening.

Colbridge spoke with investigators the day after the crash at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown and relayed that she was traveling from a party at a Lower Southampton bowling alley where she had a “few drinks” to her home in Warminster with her son. She was speaking with her boyfriend via a hand-free cell phone device when the crash happened. The 37-year-old said the next thing she remembered was being freed by firefighters.

Authorities said Colbridge sustained broken bones in her legs and ribs and also had a punctured lung.

Lab results for Colbridge showed that her blood alcohol content was .168 percent, which is higher than the .08 legal limit. She also had insomnia treatment medication Clonazepam and muscle relaxer Meprobamate in her blood, police said.

Forensic toxicologists Ayako Chan-Hosokawa of NMS Labs, according to police, told them the mix of alcohol and drugs in Colbridge’s system would impair one’s ability to safely operate a vehicle and would be a substantial factor in causing a crash.

Police reported finding Suboxone strips, 10 loose Gabapentin pills, and six Clonazepam pills in Colbridge’s purse.

Colbridge is alleged to have told police she was prescribed pain treatment and addiction withdrawal treatment Suboxone and muscle relaxer Carisoprodol.

A crash reconstruction by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Crash Investigation Unit confirmed Colbridge was at fault for the wreck, police said.

A search warrant obtained for Colbridge’s vehicle uncovered drug paraphernalia used to smoke marijuana and a small amount of marijuana in her Dodge, police said.

Warrington police Corporal Michael Neipp, a certified vehicle inspector, checked over the Dodge and Kia. He found no mechanical factors that would have contributed to the crash.

In a letter to the Upper Southampton and Warminster communities following the crash and posted by the Centennial School District, it was noted that Daniel “made a memorable impression on everyone he met.” The note explained how Daniel was a hardcore Philadelphia Eagles fan and how he played youth football with the Willow Grove Bears.

“He was always looking out for others and wanted to take care of everyone. He while only 8 looked at himself as “the man of house” and made sure to take care of his mother Kelly and grandmother Kim. His love and support for others will live on. His organs have been donated and will give the gift of a quality life to other kids. Daniel’s donations will help save the lives of many children,” the note stated.

A GoFundMe to help pay for Daniel’s funeral cost and other costs Colbridge may face raised $18,300 of its $20,000 goal as of Tuesday.

Colbridge, who remains in the hospital, was released on $100,000 unsecured bail after being arraigned by District Judge William Benz at 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to a court docket.

A district attorney’s office spokesperson said a bail hearing will be held when Colbridge is released from medical care.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.