Bus company had operated without permit

The owner of a party bus used by a group of Corona del Mar High School prom attendees — one of whom fell out of one of its windows while traveling on the 73 Freeway and survived — was warned in 2012 by state authorities to stop operating without a permit.

In August 2012, the California Public Utilities Commission told David Leon of Downey-based Leon Party Bus that he had been advertising and operating his charter company without commission authority, according to a letter the Daily Pilot obtained Wednesday.

Leon was ordered to “immediately cease and desist any and all unlawful operations” until receiving a permit. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to three months in jail, the letter stated.

In February 2013, Leon Party Bus was denied a transportation charter Class B certificate, according to state records.

The reason for the denial was not immediately clear. Specifics were not addressed in the commission’s letter.

Leon could not be reached for comment.

Charlotte Boyse, a 17-year-old CdM senior, fell out a side window Saturday as the party bus traveled along the 73. Her mother, Maria, told the Los Angeles Times it was “a miracle” that her daughter survived.

“She was just super lucky that there were no cars coming at that particular moment,” Boyse said.

Charlotte will probably return to school next week, a school district spokeswoman said Tuesday. She was released from the hospital Sunday and is recovering at home.

“She’s a strong girl,” Boyse told The Times. “She’s sad because it’s her senior year and this was her prom … but I think she’ll be fine.”