A Gilboa man faces charges of vehicular assault after State Police responded to an accident on Sunday.
According to a media release, State Police from the Cobleskill barracks responded to a report of a head-on two-car crash with severe injuries on state Route 30 in Schoharie at about 4:10 p.m. Sunday, March 5. The driver of one of the vehicles suffered a severe injury to their arm, and troopers had to apply a tourniquet to the injury. That person and two other passengers in the vehicle, including a child, were transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment.
Michael J. Bernard Jr., 30, of Gilboa, was identified as the driver of the other vehicle, the release said. He denied injuries and was taken into custody for suspected driving while ability impaired by drugs, the release said. At the Cobleskill barracks, he was evaluated by a drug recognition expert. As a result of the evaluation, a sample was taken to determine the drug content in Bernard’s blood.
He was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a class U misdemeanor, second-degree vehicular assault, a class E felony and other vehicle and traffic law violations. He was processed and issued an appearance ticket returnable to the Schoharie Town Court on March 13, then released to a sober third party, the release said.