Steuben County man sentenced to 6 to 12 years in crash that killed 6-year-old daughter

At an emotional sentencing Monday, a Wayland man was handed a six- to 12-year state prison term for a motor vehicle crash that killed his 6-year-old daughter.

Derek E. Clark pleaded guilty March 1 to aggravated vehicular homicide, the top charge in a three-count indictment related to the 2020 crash in Wayland.

Wayland-Cohocton first-grade student Leah Clark was killed in the crash.

The indeterminate prison sentence issued by Steuben County Judge Patrick F. McAllister requires that Clark serve a minimum of six years before becoming eligible for parole.

Aggravated vehicular homicide involves a fatality while driving recklessly and having a blood alcohol level of at least .18%. The maximum sentence is 12.5 to 25 years in prison.

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“(Clark) will serve at least six years in a state correctional facility, and he could serve up to 12 years. Ultimately it will be up to the parole board how much beyond six years he serves,” Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker said. “At each of those parole hearings, the family can be heard."

Baker said the judge and courtroom spectators listened to "very emotional testimonies about the loss and about what Leah meant to their family.”

Leah Clark's mother, and Leah's aunt, who was her legal guardian, spoke prior to sentencing.

“Both gave very emotional victim impact statements before the court during the sentence process," Baker said. "Both of them centering on what a wonderful child Leah was and what this took away not only from them but from the rest of the community.

“I think Judge McAllister summed it up very well when he talked about the ripple effect the defendant’s actions had on the community."

New York State Police initially charged Clark, who was 30 at the time of the crash, with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, first-degree operating a vehicle while impaired by drugs and first-degree aggravated driving with a child following the Sept. 14, 2020 incident on Route 63 in Wayland.

Investigators said Clark’s eastbound vehicle went off the roadway at about 6:30 p.m., struck a guide rail and a telephone pole, and overturned.

Leah Clark, who was belted in a back seat booster, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In December 2020, a Steuben County Grand Jury indicted Clark on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated vehicular homicide, driving while ability impaired by drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. The second-degree murder charge was dismissed by the judge following a grand jury inspection.

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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Steuben man sentenced to 6 to 12 years in crash that killed daughter