Pine Bush man pleads guilty to vehicular assault in crash that left teen paralyzed

GOSHEN - A Pine Bush man pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated vehicular assault, a felony, in a 2023 head-on collision in the town of Newburgh that left a teenager paralyzed and seriously injured another person.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said the defendant, Chauncey Smith, 22, will face up to three to nine years in state prison when he is sentenced on July 16.

Hoovler said according to documents filed and statements made in Orange County Court, Smith was driving a vehicle west on Route 17K in the town of Newburgh on Aug. 14, 2023, when he allegedly crossed over the double yellow line and collided head-on with an eastbound vehicle.

As a result, a 15-year-old inside the other vehicle suffered injuries which rendered the teenager paralyzed. Hoovler did not further identify the teenager. Another person in the eastbound vehicle suffered serious physical injury.

According to court documents and statements, Smith admitted to police that he had smoked marijuana, and a subsequent analysis of his blood confirmed the presence of marijuana.

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At the plea proceedings, Smith admitted to recklessly driving his vehicle while impaired by the consumption of marijuana, and that he caused serious physical injury to two people.

"The consumption of marijuana remains dangerous and illegal when combined with driving a vehicle," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office. "The disregard for safety exhibited by this defendant has resulted in severe, life-altering harm to innocent individuals."

Smith's attorney, Christopher Renfroe, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh crash left teen paralyzed, driver pleads guilty