Oneida Woman Identified As Victim in Fatal Route 5 Crash

The woman killed in Wednesday's three-car crash on Route 5 in Vernon has been identified.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office say 72-year-old Gorgene Schmidtka of Oneida was a passenger in one of the involved vehicles. Deputies investigating the accident believe MarkKay Neville, 60, was traveling East on Rt.5 and crossed the center line into stuck a Westbound vehicle driven by Viola Ducatte, 77, of Canastota. Schmidtka was a passenger of Ducatte, deputies said. The accident occurred shortly before 5:00 p.m.

Neville's vehicle then struck a second vehicle before coming to rest in a ditch, investigators said.

All three drivers required medical attention and were sent to the hospital but deputies described the injuries as non-life threatening.

At this time no tickets have been issued and the accident remains under investigation.

The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Patrol unit was assisted on the scene by The New York State Police, The Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, Vernon Fire Department, Vernon Center Fire Department, Westmoreland Fire Department, and Vineall Ambulance.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is for informational purposes. The information provided within was provided publicly by law enforcement. Any charges or accusations of wrongdoing mentioned in the article are only allegations and the reader is reminded that all persons are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.]