Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita, III announced today that 44 year old nurse Daryl Simpson pleaded guilty to Vehicular Assault in the 1^st Degree before Erie County Court Judge Thomas Franczyk. This is a higher charge than that initially filed and the highest charge for which the defendant could have been convicted had he gone to trial.

Simpson admitted that on March 16, 2012, at approximately 3:30 in the morning, and while operating a motor vehicle in an intoxicated condition (i.e. a .18% blood alcohol content, more than double the legal limit), that he drove through a stop sign and struck another vehicle being operated by Jacob Stockweather, who was on his way to work. Mr. Stockweather suffered serious physical injuries, including a torn trachea, a fractured sternum and a fractured pelvis. District Attorney Sedita stated that his office will continue to “aggressively prosecute drunk drivers, especially when they maim or kill innocent motorists and pedestrians.”   

Simpson faces up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Franczyk on August 28, 2012 at 9:30 A.M.