Hauppauge, NY - July 14th, 2015 - 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 last night.
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.
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.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
