NJ child, 2 adults killed in SUV hit by accused NY drunk driver

A weekend trip for a large New Jersey family ended in tragedy as a child and two women were killed when their SUV was struck by an accused drunk driver in New York State, according to the Sheriff's Office in Wyoming County, NY.

The family of nine (three women, one man, a 14-year-old, 10-year-old and three 4-year-old children) had been driving west on Route 20A in Sheldon, NY, when a pickup truck driven by 20-year-old Richard Sawicki, of Lackawanna, NY, went through the intersection and blew past a stop sign before hitting the SUV, authorities said.

The identities of the New Jersey crash victims were not disclosed, pending family notifications.

Two of the women were ejected from the van and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff's Office, and one of the four-year-old children suffered head injuries and died at a hospital.

The other young victims remained at Oishie Children’s Hospital while the surviving woman remained at a separate hospital as of Sunday night, police said.

The adult male was treated and released for injuries suffered in the crash.

Sawicki was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.

He was remanded to  the Wyoming County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail or $200,000 bond. He is due back in court on June 10 and will likely face additional charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Sawicki's license also was suspended.

The Memorial weekend wreck happened about an hour away from Niagara Falls, which PIX 11 reported was the family's destination.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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