March 28, 2008- A  drunk driver was heading down Ann Street  in the City of Newburgh at a high rate of speed,   He apparently ran a stop sign  and crossed the intersection near the New Hope Baptist Church hitting a sedan ,seriously injuring the driver.

   The unidentified driver had to be extricated from his vehicle by the City of Newburgh fire department. Mobile Life Support ambulance service treated the driver and he  was flown to Westchester Medical Center  in Valhalla New York where he is listed in  critical condition.

Newburgh city police along with the New York State Police accident reconstruction team investigated the scene. The road was closed for several hours. Police said that  Jose L. Merino told them he had a green light  but there is not a  traffic light at the intersection of Ann Street and Mill Street.

 Merino was charged with driving while intoxicated, and several other charges. He was treated at the Newburgh campus  of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital with minor injuries, and sent to Orange County Jail on  $25,000.00 bail.

Story by John C. Miller

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A seriously injured driver was  extricated by the City of Newburgh fire department from this vehicle at the intersection of Ann  and Mill street in the City of Newburgh.

City of Newburgh firefighters and EMS crews from Mobile Life Ambulance service treat one of the drivers after being extricated from his vehicle at the intersection of Mill and Ann Street .

City of Newburgh firefighters work at extricating  the seriously injured driver of a sedan that was involved in a collision at the intersection of Ann and Mill Street. The driver of the  other  vehicle involved was charged with drunk driving , driving without a license and numerous other traffic violations.