(WNY News Now) – A Depew man will serve up to 7½ years in prison for causing a deadly head-on collision in West Seneca while under the influence of cocaine.
Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that Zachary P. Poisson, 34, of Depew, was sentenced on Wednesday to 2½ to 7½ years in state prison for his role in a fatal motor vehicle crash. The sentence was handed down by State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens.
Poisson was also issued a permanent revocation of his New York State driver’s license as part of his sentence.
The incident occurred on the morning of Monday, July 24, 2023, at around 5:30 a.m. Poisson, under the influence of cocaine, was driving eastbound on Clinton Street in the Town of West Seneca when he crossed the center line, striking a westbound vehicle head-on. The driver of the other vehicle, 49-year-old David Sion of Eden, was pronounced dead at the scene.
In March 2025, Poisson pleaded guilty to all charges in the indictment, including:
- Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class C felony)
- Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree (Class D felony)
- Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree (Class A misdemeanor)
- Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree (Class A misdemeanors)
District Attorney Keane praised the West Seneca Police Department for their thorough investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Mitchell T. Schoellkopf of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau and Denise A. Herman of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau.
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