Vehicular Collisions in Esperance and Neversink

The following is a recap of two separate vehicular crashes that took place this week.

Schenectady Woman Accused of Driving Drunk, Slamming into Church and House

A Schenectady woman is facing charges after allegedly driving while drunk, hitting a church and a house before her vehicle stopped.

The New York State Police says they responded to the scene of an accident on Main Street in the Village of Esperance just after 3:00am on Saturday, January 22, 2022.

According to a written release the NYSP says that the suspect was travelling west on Main Street / Route 20 when she left the north shoulder of the road and hit the Esperance-Sloansville United Methodist Church and an occupied home to the west.  The driver was identified as 32-year-old Katie L. Gunther of Schenectady.  "Both buildings," police say, "were heavily damaged. While being interviewed by police Gunther exhibited signs that she was under the influence of alcohol."

Police say that Gunther suffered a head injury during the crash and was brought by helicopter to Albany Medical Center.  When she was released from the hospital she turned herself in at the Cobleskill barracks and was arrested.

Gunther is being charged with the following:

• Driving While Intoxicated - Previous Conviction (Class E felony)
• Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree (misdemeanor)
• Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree (two counts, misdemeanor charge)

She is scheduled to appear in the Esperance Town Court on February 16, 2022 to answer the charges.

School Bus Allegedly Hit by Out of Control Jeep

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at approximately 11:45am New York State Police in Liberty, New York responded to a report of a vehicular accident on State Route 55 in the Town of Neversink.

Troopers say the operator of a 2021 Jeep Cherokee travelling east on State Route 55 hit a guide rail.  The impact caused it to veer into the opposite land of traffic and allegedly hit a school bus that was headed west.

The school bus, headed to Sullivan BOCES, was carrying 18 high school students.  All of the bus passengers were brought to Garnet Medical Center in Harris.  According to the NYSP, "No one on the bus, including the driver, suffered any serious injuries. The operator of the Jeep Cherokee was transported to Westchester Medical Center via medivac with multiple fractures."

To facilitate the assistance of emergency responders and the police investigation State Route 55 was closed to traffic for approximately two hours.

The NYSP says that the investigation is continuing.  There is no word yet on what caused the driver of the Jeep to hit the guide rail.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE:  This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information from the New York State Police.  If an arrest is mentioned in a particular case the reader is reminded that all arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.  At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]