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Yonkers resident David Poncurak pleaded guilty to multiple charges after striking a mother and child with his car after crashing through the front window of an area barbershop earlier this year.
Specifically, Poncurak pleaded guilty to:
- Aggravated vehicular assault;
- Driving while intoxicated;
- Driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of drugs or alcohol;
- Aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Friday, July 23, Poncurak was driving northbound in Yonkers north on Morningside Avenue when he turned West on to Lake Avenue, lost control, hopped the curb, and drove through the front of a nearby barbershop.
The crash pinned both the mother and infant under the vehicle. Rocah said that members of the Yonkers Police Department, with the help of bystanders, immediately lifted the car off the victims, who both were injured.
Police said that the woman suffered serious injuries to her femur, and the baby suffered a fractured skull and third-degree burns to her back and foot. Both were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and survived the injuries.
The owner of the barbershop also suffered a minor injury.
Rocah noted that at the time of the crash, Poncurak had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit and illegal narcotics in his system.
“David Poncurak’s decision to drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs put a mother and her infant child at severe risk,” 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.”
When he is sentenced on Jan. 13, 2022, Poncurak faces between five and 15 years in state prison.
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