(Update/Correction 9 a.m. Thursday) — This story originally reported the child was 2 years old, however on Thursday, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office said in an update, “upon further investigation she was found to be 4 years old.”
LANSING, N.Y. — A Dryden man has been charged with driving impaired after police say he crashed into a barrier on Graham Road in Lansing. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office said there was a 4-year-old child in the back seat at the time of the crash.
The sheriff’s office, New York State Police, Bangs Ambulance and the Lansing Fire Department responded to a two-car crash at about 3:55 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 10 Graham Road in the Village of Lansing.
After an investigation, deputies said they determined that a white Hyundai sedan was traveling west on Graham Road when it struck a tan Honda sedan. The Hyundai then drove off the roadway and crashed into a concrete barrier in front of the Northeast Pediatrics office. The driver, identified as 24-year-old Joshua L. Wurgler, of Dryden, was discovered unconscious behind the wheel. There was also a 4-year-old child in the rear seat, the sheriff’s office said.
Medical staff at Northeast Pediatrics helped care for the child and found her to be uninjured, the sheriff’s office said, and Wurgler regained consciousness after assistance from medical staff. After a DWI and DRE evaluation were conducted, deputies said he was found to be impaired by drugs and arrested.
In an update Thursday morning, Lt. Kyle Koskinen said there were no injuries to anyone involved in the crash.
Wurgler was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs with a child in the vehicle, a felony; DWAI by drugs, a felony due to a previous conviction; possession of a hypodermic needle; and failure to keep right. Wurgler was remanded to the Tompkins County Jail in lieu of $3,000 cash or $5,000 bond.