(Long Island, NY) Suffolk County Police have arrested a Ridge man for driving while ability Impaired by Drugs after his vehicle struck and seriously injured a 7-year-old girl in Hauppauge on Monday July 13.
Brandon Cumberbatch, 21, was driving a 2002 Chevy Impala southbound on Route 111 when his vehicle struck a 2008 Toyota minivan driven by Arunima Singh, 40, who was also travelling southbound on Route 111 with her two children in the car.
Suffolk County Police have arrested Brandon Cumberbatch, 21, of Ridge, for driving while ability Impaired by Drugs after his vehicle struck and seriously injured a 7-year-old girl in Hauppauge on July 13. Photo Credit: Chris Boyle.
Cumberbatch’s vehicle veered onto the shoulder, over the curb and into the parking lot of the Hauppauge Plaza and struck an unoccupied parked vehicle.
Singh and her son, Avaneesh, 18, and daughter Bhaswi, 7, were transported via Hauppauge Rescue to Stony Brook University Hospital. The mother and her son were treated for minor injuries and the daughter is in serious condition with a fractured skull and facial injuries.
Cumberbatch was arrested and charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. He was transported to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown for observation. He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.
The vehicles were impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Vehicular Crime Unit detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident to call them at 631-852-6555.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
