Driver Charged with Drugged DWI After Crash Ejects Child, Injures Multiple in Niagara County

A crash in the Town of Newfane left multiple people injured – including a 13-year-old child – after authorities say a driver under the influence of drugs failed to stop at an intersection.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded around 6:16pm on April 8th to a motor vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Day Road and Wheeler Road.

According to investigators, a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup traveling northbound on Day Road failed to stop at a stop sign and entered the intersection, colliding with a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox traveling eastbound on Wheeler Road. The impact caused the pickup truck to roll over multiple times.

Authorities said the crash resulted in two passengers being ejected from the pickup, including a 13-year-old child. Investigators determined that none of the occupants in the truck were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.

Both ejected passengers suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet Equinox also sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, identified as 50-year-old Jonpaul Oliver of Franklinton, North Carolina, was found to be under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. He was charged with Driving While Intoxicated by Drugs, Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated under Leandra’s Law involving a child passenger, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, along with multiple violations of New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law. Authorities indicated that additional charges are pending.

Oliver was also injured in the crash and transported to a local hospital for treatment. All other injured individuals were taken to area hospitals as well.

Driver Charged with Drugged DWI After Crash Ejects Child, Injures Multiple in Niagara County