Buffalo Man Sentenced for Hit-and-Run Crash on Kensington Expressway

Modified: August 6, 2018 1:54pm

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8/6/2018

Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 31-year-old Carlton Tompkins of Buffalo has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to 6 months in jail followed by 5 years of probation.

On May 15, 2018, at approximately 4:50 p.m., the defendant was driving at a high rate of speed on the Kensington Expressway in the Town of Cheektowaga. Numerous eyewitnesses stated that the defendant was weaving in and out of traffic without signaling. When the defendant veered from the left lane into the center lane, his vehicle collided with another vehicle driven by a 57-year-old man. The crash caused the other driver to lose control of the vehicle, which flipped over.

As a result of the collision, the victim suffered serious physical injuries, including a fractured facial bones and a broken femur.

The defendant did not stop at the scene. A Good Samaritan followed Tompkins to his residence on Westminster Ave in the City of Buffalo and contacted authorities. When police confronted Tompkins about the crash he admitted he knew he hit the victim’s car, but drove off because he was “scared.”

In June 2018, Tompkins pleaded guilty to one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Personal Injury, an E felony, and one count of Reckless Driving, an A misdemeanor.

DA Flynn commends the investigative work of Officer Brian Gray and Officer J. Wodowski of the Cheektowaga Police Accident Investigation Unit. Also, the DA commends the actions of the Good Samaritan who assisted law enforcement in quickly identifying the suspect.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christopher M. McCarthy of the DA’s Vehicular Crimes Unit.