Impaired driver sentenced for causing injuries to child

Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen confirmed Paul Pike, of Saratoga Springs was sentenced by Saratoga County Court Judge James A. Murphy, III, to a three-to-sixyear indeterminate term of incarceration in a state correctional facility for his conviction for felony firstdegree vehicular assault, regarding an incident that occurred on June 10, 2020, in the City of Saratoga Springs.

An investigation by the Saratoga Springs Police Department determined that while Pike was driving a Honda Accord traveling on Route 50 in the City of Saratoga Springs, south of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He crashed into a telephone pole on the side of the road after traveling more than 100 feet on the shoulder of the roadway.

There were two passengers in the Accord when it crashed, a man in the front passenger seat and the Pike’s seven-year-old son in the back seat. The sevenyear-old suffered serious physical injuries, including a fracture of his skull, a severe brain bleed, and a laceration to his face.

At the crash scene, Pike failed multiple field sobriety tests administered by a Drug Recognition Expert of the New York State Police. It was determined that Pike was impaired to safely operate the motor vehicle by a number of drugs. A subsequent chemical tested revealed Pike was impaired by a number of drugs, including suboxone, Vyvanse, and Klonopin.

“This case is an example of the terrible decision making of the defendant to get behind the wheel of a car when he was impaired by a number of drugs and was unable to safely operate the vehicle. The resulting crash and injuries sustained by his son were the tragically results of defendant Pike’s terrible decision to drive while impaired by drugs,” Heggen stated.

Heggen commended the collaborative investigation by the Saratoga Springs Police Department and the New York State Police Drug Recognition Expert in securing the evidence needed to support this conviction.