UPDATE: Fatal motor vehicle accident in Binghamton leads to the arrest of 2

Update: Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar joined District Attorney Paul Battisti Monday afternoon to provide an update on the accident that claimed the life of one Conklin man.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Charles Burrell Jr., 29, of Conklin was ejected from one of the vehicles during the incident. Despite emergency responders attempting life-saving measures, Burrell was pronounced dead at the scene.

A subsequent investigation revealed that the two vehicles, a U-Haul pickup truck and a Honda sedan which both contained two passengers, were involved in a road rage dispute. The drivers, Diffendorf and Macdowall, had been involved in an ongoing dispute prior to Sunday’s accident. According to Akshar, the log running feud was over the illegal drug trade and a woman.

While raveling on Morgan Rd. the drivers engaged in reckless behavior before losing control and both leaving the roadway. Macdowell, who was driving the Honda sedan, rolled over when leaving the roadway, ejecting Burrell who was a passenger in the front seat. None of the occupants in the U-Haul were injured.

It was determined that the alleged actions of both Diffendorf and Macdowell led to the death of Burrell. Akshar says Diffendorf and his passenger went to a nearby house to call 9-1-1 while Macdowell fled on foot to his home where he was later arrested. Diffendorf was arraigned and remanded to the Broome County Jail while Macdowell was taken to Wilson Hospital for observation. Macdowell was arraigned at his bedside, and he remains in custody of the Broome County Jail while at the hospital.

The investigation is ongoing.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Two arrests have been made as the Broome County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a fatal motor vehicle accident in the Town of Binghamton.

On Sunday, at approximately 3:06 a.m., Broome County Sheriff Road Patrol deputies responded to a serious injury motor vehicle accident involving two vehicles on Morgan Road at the intersection of Cobblestone Court in Binghamton.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, one of the vehicle occupants sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The identity of the victim is not being released at this time due to pending notification of next of kin.

As a result of the initial investigation as well as the circumstances surrounding the incident, the drivers of both vehicles involved in the accident were each charged with Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Class C Felonies. The drivers have been identified as Cody Diffendorf, 20, of Kirkwood and James Macdowall, 26, of Binghamton.

Broome County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division and the Accident Reconstruction Unit are still investigating the accident. Sheriff Fred Akshar will provide further information to the public as it becomes available.

• Police need help finding two Cortland County runaway teens
• Grand larceny felon dismissed of all charges in Binghamton
• 19th Congressional District candidates spar over immigrant crime
• Community members register to vote at National Voter Registration Day event
• Former Kirkwood woman testing her survival skills on reality TV

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34.