Blotter

Stone Ridge family escapes injury when car crashes into their house; driver charged with DWI

Published: Saturday, June 16, 2012

By JEREMY SCHIFFRES
City Editor
jschiffres@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/JeremyInNY

STONE RIDGE, N.Y. — A Stone Ridge family escaped injury when a car crashed through French doors at the back of their house, a woman who lives there said on Saturday.

The driver of the car was charged with drunken driving, according to state police.

Emily Bonilla said the Subaru came across a neighbor’s property before crashing into the rear of her house at 201 Kripplebush Road, near Cooper Street, about 11:45 p.m. Friday.

Bonilla said she heard the vehicle coming through nearby trees and was just a few feet away from the point of impact when the car struck the house and wound up in her dining room.

Bonilla said she fell back onto the kitchen floor but was not hurt.

She said the impact point was near the bedroom of her 16-year-old daughter but that she, too, was unhurt.

“We got very lucky,” she said.

Bonilla’s husband, sister-in-law and two other children also were in the house at the time, she said.

The crash destroyed some outdoor decking and furniture, the French doors and most of what was in the dining room, Bonilla said. But she said the house was deemed structurally sound after the accident by town of Marbletown Building Inspector Ray Van Kleeck.

Bonilla said an insurance adjuster was due at the house to assess the damage and determine how much it will cost to repair. Continued...

The driver of the car, Stephen C. Bohn, 42, of Ulster Park, was charged with drunken driving and driving with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.08 percent, New York’s threshold for intoxication, state police said. Police also said it was Bohn’s first drunken driving arrest.

Bonilla said Bohn was alone in the vehicle and appeared unhurt. She said he told her right after the crash, “Wow, I guess I’m in a lot of trouble.”

Bohn was released with a court appearance ticket after he was charged, police said.

Bonilla said a towing service was able to remove the car.

She said aside from state police, the accident drew the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, the Kripplebush Fire Department and an ambulance and paramedics.