Broome Deputy “Very Brave” While Being Freed from Vehicle

Emergency crews worked for over an hour to free a Broome County sheriff's deputy from a patrol car after a head-on crash with a wrong-way vehicle in Vestal.

Deputy Kristy Botsford was seriously hurt in the collision on Route 17 around 1:40 a.m. Friday.

Sheriff's department Captain Kathleen Newcomb described Botsford as "stoic and very brave" as rescue personnel used hydraulic equipment to extricate her in sub-zero temperatures.

The 32-year-old Botsford sustained a broken leg and a possible ankle injury. She was undergoing surgery at Wilson Medical Center Friday afternoon.

Authorities say a 2018 Tesla driven by 34-year-old Daniel Butash of Endwell crashed into the patrol vehicle. Butash was taken to Wilson for treatment of internal bleeding and a nose injury.

Investigators believe Butash was driving from the Owego area to his home. Several 911 callers reported an eastbound car traveling in the westbound lanes.

Botsford had activated the emergency lights on the 2014 Ford Explorer patrol vehicle as she responded to assist Vestal police in stopping the wrong-way car.

Vestal officers said the suspect vehicle stopped on the highway but as they approached, the vehicle raced away at a high rate of speed, continuing in the wrong direction.

Newcomb said Butash was alone in the Tesla. She said a Vestal police drug recognition expert determined Butash was driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Butash was in the custody of Vestal police while he was hospitalized. Formal charges were expected to be filed.

Sheriff David Harder expressed appreciation to those who offered assistance, prayers and well-wishes in the aftermath of the crash.

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com

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