Man sentenced to prison for pleading guilty to Vehicular Assault in one car rollover crash which seriously injured his passenger

Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy, III announced today that Morgan Petralia (DOB 2-11-90) of 169 Broad Street, Schuylerville NY, was sentenced today to 1-3 years in state prison by the Honorable Jerry J. Scarano, Saratoga County Court Judge, for his prior plea of guilty to the crime of Vehicular Assault in the First Degree, a D Felony, in violation of Penal Law Section 120.04 (1), in Saratoga County Court on March 27, 2014. In addition, the defendant was ordered to install an ignition interlock device for a period of 3 years, which begins at the time he is released from prison.

The sentencing stems from an incident where the defendant’s vehicle rolled over and crashed and thereby resulted in serious injury to his passenger, the victim, which occurred on State Route 29, in the Town of Saratoga, on November 17, 2013. Petralia was operating his motor vehicle westbound on State Route 29 when he failed to negotiate a curve, left the roadway and rolled over on the grassy northern shoulder. The State Police conducting the investigation determined that Petralia was operating while intoxicated at the time and made the arrest. He voluntarily provided a breath sample to determine his blood alcohol content which registered .19% after the crash. Petralia’s passenger was seriously injured including facial, neck and spinal fractures and damage to her left eye. The victim has made a recovery other than the damage to her eye which appears to be permanent.

DA Murphy said ” While the defendant had no prior alcohol related convictions of any kind and this is a first offense, we insisted on a state prison sentence due to the severity of the victim’s injuries. The victim will recover fully from the broken bones, but her eye will be a lifelong disability.”

Assistant District Attorney Patrick Campion handled the prosecution.
“The result of the defendant’s actions will clearly have a lasting effect on the victim for the rest of her life and reflects the damage that can and does happen when you drive drunk.”