Man dies in crash after car leaves road
Trenton Times story:
http://www.nj.com
By MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
Staff Writer
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP _ A man died after his car left the roadway and
struck two trees along Route 130 early yesterday,
authorities said.
The accident is believed to have occurred shortly before 1 a.m. but
there were no known witnesses. Township police
discovered the wrecked car hidden among the trees after someone reported
a broken bumper lying near the road at 12:58 a.m.
Rescuers from Washington Fire Department immediately responded to the
accident scene along the southbound side of Route
130, just north of the township's fire station but south of Woodside
Road.
The driver, whom authorities described as a man from Ocean County in his
early 30s, was trapped inside the wrecked vehicle.
Township firefighters used special hydraulic rescue tools to cut the
roof from the car. Then, assisted by a crew from
Mercerville Fire Co. and paramedics from Capital Health System, they
removed the man from the wreckage.
Quickly discovering that the man's heart had stopped beating,
firefighters and paramedics performed CPR in an effort to
resuscitate him, authorities said. Their efforts were unsuccessful and
he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The victim's name was being withheld yesterday because authorities were
still trying to notify his family.
The accident is being investigated by township police Patrolman Eric
Bakay and Agent Ken Scott from the Mercer County
Prosecutor's Office.
An initial examination of the accident scene revealed the vehicle left
the roadway, not in a sudden motion, but at a very
slight angle, causing it to ride along the shoulder for some distance
before entering the woods and striking the trees.
That suggests to investigators that the driver might have fallen asleep,
according to Administrative Assistant Prosecutor
Angelo Onofri, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office.
Anyone who witnessed the accident is urged to call township police at
(609) 259-3900.
Fatal Accident on Route 130
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (MERCER)—An accident on Route 130 turned fatal in the early morning hours of Saturday February 1, 2003. The Washington Township Fire Department was called to the scene at 1:04 a.m. and when firefighters arrived they found a car off the road way and in a wooded area on the southbound side of the highway. The driver of the car was heavily entrapped and not responsive. Firefighters went in service immediately with their Holmatro rescue tools and had the victim out of the vehicle within 20 minutes. Mercerville Fire Company was also called to the scene and assisted in the extrication. Firefighters and Mercer County Paramedics tried to revive the driver but all efforts were unsuccessful. The fire department also assisted the Washington Township Police Department in lighting the scene to conduct an accident investigation. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Washington Township Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
