Norristown woman pleads guilty to causing the crash that killed her 14-month-old son

A Norristown woman was sentenced to three to six years in state prison on Friday for causing a crash with a SEPTA bus that killed her 14-month-old son last year. She was high on narcotics when she hit the bus.

Argentina Johnson-Lowery, 35, pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence during a hearing before Montgomery County Court Judge Thomas P. Rogers. She will report to state prison on July 5, as per an agreement between her attorney, Matthew Hagarty, and prosecutors.

Hagarty said in an interview after the hearing that Johnson-Lowery is remorseful and has been sober since her arrest.

“She is dealing with the consequences of this every day for the rest of her life, and she wanted to accept responsibility for her actions,” Hagarty said.

Investigators responding to the crash, which occurred on Old Arch Road and East Johnson Highway in East Norriton on Sept. 30, found Johnson-Lowery trapped inside her vehicle, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed for her arrest. The SEPTA bus she drove into had significant damage to its front end.

Medics transported her son to Suburban Hospital. The injuries to his head and face were so severe he was airlifted to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he later died, the affidavit said.

Witnesses told police that Johnson-Lowery had been driving recklessly before the crash, hitting another vehicle’s bumper before colliding with the front of the bus as it was unloading passengers. After the crash, Johnson-Lowery screamed for bystanders to “Get [her] baby,” the affidavit said.

As investigators worked to free Johnson-Lowery from her van, they saw an empty bottle of Yukon Jack whiskey, as well as a cigarette box that had two marijuana cigarettes and a packet of cocaine inside of it.

At Jefferson Abington Hospital, where Johnson-Lowery was taken for treatment, doctors drew her blood because of the seriousness of the crash, the affidavit said. It tested positive for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and Bromazolam, a designer benzodiazepine drug similar to Xanax.

Assistant District Attorney Gabrielle Glenning told reporters after Friday’s hearing that a sentence in state prison was appropriate for Johnson-Lowery, given her actions.

“This is the ultimate crime that someone can commit when they get behind the wheel intoxicated, and, unfortunately, in this case, it was even more horrendous that it was this woman’s own 14-month-old son who lost his life due to her intoxication,” Glenning said.

“And so anything less than the mandatory [minimum sentence] would depreciate the significance of what happened here,” she added.