Boy trapped beneath car leaves hospital
08/03/01
Story by: Kevin Shea, The Trenton Times, http://www.nj.com
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP -- The 10-year-old Annie Lane boy who was trapped beneath a car in his family's driveway Wednesday night was scheduled to be released from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at New Brunswick yesterday evening, police said.
And, township police said, the 8 p.m. Wednesday incident appears to have been an accident.
The boy's name was not made public yesterday. He is the stepson of township police Sgt. Chuck Petty.
Detective Vincent Estelle said the incident could not be classified as a motor-vehicle accident because nobody was at the wheel of the car and the engine was not on.
The exact reason the car shifted into neutral and started rolling down the driveway was unavailable yesterday, but Estelle said police had talked to other children playing with Petty's son and determined the incident was an accident.
Estelle and officers Bryan Boccanfuso and Gabe Addonizio were among those who responded to free and aid the boy.
Neighbors said the boy was playing with other children in front of the home when the car started rolling. Estelle said reports that the 10-year-old got behind the car to stop it from rolling are accurate.
Rescuers responding to a 911 call found the boy underneath the car at the bottom of the driveway, partially in the street. The boy's head was under the front seat and his legs were under the engine compartment.
Township firefighters freed the boy after stabilizing the Chevrolet Malibu with wooden blocks and car jacks brought by neighbors, and raising the car with a Holmatro spreader, a tool similar to the Jaws of Life.