A couple from Oshawa have both lost a leg and remain in hospital after a serious crash involving a drunk driver in New York

An Oshawa couple remains in critical condition south of the border this week after an incident involving a drunk driver. 

On September 10, at around 5 pm, Charity Hogan and her partner Craig Sutherland were driving their motorcycle in Catskill New York when an impaired driver struck them. 

According to a GoFundMe account for expenses surrounding this accident, the Oshawa couple has sustained serious injuries and currently remain in critical care in the US hospital system. 

While Hogan and Sutherland were operating under a travel insurance platform as they were venturing outside of Canada — due to the severity of injuries sustained — there is only so much coverage available. 

According to the page for these supplemental expenses, after he was airlifted for emergency treatment it was discovered that Sutherland sustained immense damage to his internal organs and lost one of his legs, as for Hogan, who was taken to hospital by ambulance, it was indicated that she had suffered a crushed pelvis while also losing a leg as a result of the crash. 

As indicated by the Catskill-area publication the Daily Voice Catskill, the driver who struck the couple was identified as 50-year-old Derik Wirhouski of the town of Cairo in New York State. 

Following an investigation by local authorities, officers have determined that Wirhouski failed to stop at the stop sign at an intersection and struck the couple’s motorcycle with his Subaru Impreza. 

Regional authorities have indicated that Wirhouski has been arrested and charged with: 

• Driving while intoxicated
• Reckless driving
• Refusal to take a breath test
• Failure to take a breath test
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Consumption of alcohol in a vehicle

At the time of publication, Hogan and Sutherland are still in care at the Albany Medical Center in New York State.

The couple’s GoFundMe page has indicated that while Hogan remains cognizant and has been in and out of emergency surgeries Sutherland is “still day to day and fighting for his life.”