An 18-year-old Geneva woman has been charged with felony assault after investigators said she was driving 98 mph before a Sept. 4 crash on Routes 5 and 20 in Hopewell that seriously injured another driver.
The Ontario County Sheriff's Office identified her as Yanieliz Flecha Lopez and said she was arrested Monday in connection with the three-vehicle collision.
Investigators said Flecha Lopez was driving a 2014 Chrysler 300 west on Routes 5 and 20 and passing several vehicles at once in a 55-mph zone.
As she tried to return to the westbound lane, she lost control, entered the eastbound lane and collided with a Subaru Forester driven by Tamarie Cataldo and a Kia Forte driven by Lazena Ponder, according to the sheriff's release.
Ponder suffered serious internal injuries that required several surgeries, deputies said.
The assault charge alleges Flecha Lopez recklessly caused serious physical injury with her vehicle, which investigators described as a dangerous instrument.
She also received traffic tickets for reckless driving, speeding and improper passing on the left, the sheriff's office said.
Earlier coverage of the crash reported that all three drivers were seriously injured, that Flecha Lopez was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital and that the highway was closed for nearly three hours.
Flecha Lopez was taken to the Ontario County Jail for centralized arraignment and released on her own recognizance, according to the new release.
She is due in Hopewell Town Court at a later date; the sheriff's office did not provide an appearance date.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.