West Windsor man taken to hospital after SUV strikes a tree in Washington Township.

Published in the Messenger Press, http://www.messengerpress.com

by: Rob Heyman, Managing Editor

   WASHINGTON — Simply put, David King was lucky.
   Lucky not only to have survived a crash that practically demolished his vehicle, but to be rescued by no fewer than three people trained in emergency care who just happened to be in the area at the time of the accident.
   According to township police, Mr. King, 42, of West Windsor was driving south on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road near Line Road at 9:47 p.m. on June 17 when his 2001 Mercedes Benz SUV left the road and crashed into a tree. The impact caused the vehicle's engine to catch fire, which was quickly moving toward the passenger compartment.
   At about this time, Vivian Scavo and her husband, Tom, who live in Washington nearby, were watching "CSI" on television when they heard the impact.
   "We get a lot of accidents up here," Ms. Scavo said in an interview Monday. "We both knew."
   The Scavos, both of whom have training as EMTs, raced outside and saw the damaged vehicle and the fire.
   "It didn't look good," Ms. Scavo said.
   They grabbed a medical supply kit and a fire extinguisher and headed to the burning car.
   "A lot of cars pulled over but people didn't know what to do," Ms. Scavo said. "Obviously, it was very bad."
   One person there with some experience was a former volunteer firefighter in West Windsor, whom Washington fire officials later identified as Kevin Tindall. When the fire extinguisher proved useless in containing the growing blaze, the Scavos and Mr. Tindall were able to open the driver-side door wide enough to extract Mr. King to safety, placing him on the ground and away from the fire.
   Ms. Scavo said Mr. King had an injury to one of his arms was complaining of pain in his right leg.
   "He was able to tell us his name," she said. "He said he had swerved to avoid a deer."
   Fire, police and emergency medical crews from Washington arrived within minutes and Mr. King was taken to Capital Health System-Fuld Campus. He was listed in good condition Tuesday afternoon.
   Washington Police Department spokesman Vince Estelle said Tuesday that Mr. King had smelled of alcohol at the crash scene. He said Mr. King was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and careless driving. Tests were taken at the hospital to determine his blood alcohol level, but those results were not available earlier this week, Mr. Estelle said.
   Ms. Scavo, who teaches CPR, said that in most cases when a bystander comes upon an accident it is imperative not to interfere or move the victim, which can cause additional harm to the injured person. She said there are exceptions, such as when there's imminent danger to the victim.
   "If there's a fire coming in (for example), you have to get them out," she said.