Cortland County man charged with homicide after child dies in DWI crash

Cortland, N.Y. — A Cortland County man faces homicide and drunk driving charges after a crash that left a child dead on Friday night, according to authorities.

Daniel A. Haynes III, 29, of West State Road in Virgil, is accused of causing a serious crash that sent three children — ages 6 to 10 — to the hospital.

Two of the children were taken to Upstate University Hospital; a third child died at Cortland Regional Medical Center.

An investigation revealed that Haynes was going east at a high speed when he lost control of the vehicle, struck a utility pole and came to rest on the shoulder of the road.

There were five other passengers in the vehicle, including two adults and the three children. The crash occurred around 8:45 PM. The victims have not been identified.

Daniel Haynes

Daniel Haynes

Here are the charges Haynes faces:

– Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, class “B” Felony
– Reckless Endangerment, class “D” Felony (4 counts)
– Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, violation
– Endangering the welfare of a child, Class “A” Misdemeanor (3 counts)
– Aggravated DWI (Leandra’s Law), Class “E” Felony (3 counts)
– DWI
– Failed to stop at stop sign
– Speed not reasonable and prudent
– Failed to keep right
– Drove across hazard markings
– Consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle
– No seat belt back passengers ages 8-15 (2 counts)
– No seat belt back passenger ages 4-7 (1 count)
– Reckless Driving

From the rest of the news release:

The Cortland County Accident Investigation Team (AIT) investigated the accident, which caused the roadway to be shut down for approximately 5 hours.

The Cortland County Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scene by Virgil Fire Department, Dryden Ambulance, TLC Ambulance.

The names of the passengers were not being released at the time of this release until family members could be notified.

The accident is still under investigation and additional charges are possible. Anyone who may have information regarding this accident is asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Division at the CCSD. 607-758-6151.