On Nov. 9, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that Yonkers resident David Poncurak pled guilty after hitting a mother and her infant child with his car as he crashed through a Yonkers storefront while intoxicated.
Poncurak, 43, pled guilty on November 9, 2021, to Aggravated Vehicular Assault, a felony. He also pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated, Driving While Ability Impaired by the Combined Influence of Drugs or of Alcohol, and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, all misdemeanors.
Poncurak faces a sentence range of 5 to 15 years in a state prison.
On July 23, 2021, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Poncurak hit a mother and her infant daughter with his car as he crashed through the storefront of a barbershop on Lake Avenue in Yonkers. The crash trapped both victims under the vehicle. Yonkers Police, with the help of bystanders, immediately lifted the car off the victims. Poncurak had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit and illegal narcotics in his system at the time of the collision.
Both victims were transported to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where the mother underwent surgery for a fractured femur. The infant sustained a fractured skull and severe burns.
“David Poncurak’s decision to drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs put a mother and her infant child at severe risk,” DA Rocah said. “I applaud the extraordinary work of the Yonkers Police Department, the bystanders, and the ambulance crew who sprang into action to assist during this harrowing event. These victims are alive today because of the heroic efforts of these brave individuals.”
The case is before Judge Barry Warhit in Westchester County Court, and is being prosecuted by Vehicular Crimes Bureau Chief Nadine Nagler. Poncurak is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2022.
Both the mother and daughter are said to be healing.
