At about 1:40 a.m. today a vehicle, traveling the wrong way
on State Route 17, struck a marked Sheriff’s Office patrol car. Deputy Botsford was traveling westbound on
State Route 17 with her emergency overhead lights activated assisting marked
patrols from the Vestal Police Department locate and attempt to stop a vehicle
that was reported to be traveling the wrong way, eastbound in the westbound
lane. Vestal Police patrols reported the suspect vehicle had stopped on the highway,
east of exit 68, but as they approached the vehicle, the driver, later
identified as Daniel Butash, accelerated away at a high rate of speed and
continued traveling the wrong way. Shortly thereafter Butash drove head-on into
Deputy Botsford’s patrol car, a 2014 Ford Explorer. Deputy Botsford suffered serious injury and
was pinned inside the vehicle. Emergency services personnel on scene utilized a
HURST tool, commonly referred to as the ‘jaws of life’, to extricate Deputy
Botsford. She was transported to Wilson
hospital and is currently being treated. The extent of her injuries are being
assessed and include a fractured right femur.
Mr. Butash was operating a 2018 Tesla. He suffered minor
facial injuries and some abrasions on his torso. Immediately after the accident
Butash was transported to Wilson hospital for evaluation. Butash showed signs of intoxication by
alcohol and was subsequently administered standardized field sobriety testing
at the hospital. At the time of this release members of the Vestal Police
Department were conducting a driving while intoxicated (DWI) investigation.
Charges are currently pending.
The Broome County Sheriff’s Office and Vestal Police
Department were assisted in this investigation by numerous other agencies
including the NYS Department of Transportation, the New York State Police,
Johnson City Police Department, Binghamton Police Department, NYS Environmental
Police, Vestal Ambulance Squad, and Vestal Fire Department. Sheriff Harder extends his thanks to all those
who assisted at the accident scene.
