Seat Belt Saves Driver as Car Flips Over on Route 1

A car flipped over several times and landed on its roof on Route 1 in Lawrence Township Monday evening (Aug. 8) but the driver was not hurt because she was wearing her seat belt, police said.

The accident, which was reported to township police at 6:14 p.m., occurred along the southbound side of Route 1 in the area of Interstate 295.

Tiana Savage, 22, of Trenton, was driving the 1992 Ford Tempo in the left southbound lane when the car’s left rear tire suddenly blew out, causing the vehicle to shake violently and Savage to lose control, according to Lawrence Township Police Sgt. Michael Yeh.

The car veered to the right, where it struck the curb of the thin, weed-covered median that separates the two main southbound lanes from the access lane leading to and from the entrance and exit ramps for I-295, Yeh said. He said that impact caused the car to flip over and come to rest on its roof.

“The vehicle rolled over several times but because she was wearing a seat belt she was just shaken up and did not report suffering any injuries,” Yeh said.

As a precaution, he said, Savage was transported by a Lawrence Township Emergency Medical Service ambulance crew to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton to be evaluated.

Volunteers from Lawrenceville, Slackwood and Lawrence Road fire companies responded and firefighters stood by on the scene until the wrecked car was removed by a tow truck.

The right southbound lane of Route 1 was closed for about 45 minutes to allow emergency personnel to safely operate at the scene. The access road for the I-295 ramps was also narrowed to create a buffer between emergency personnel and the traffic that was allowed to slowly pass by the scene.

Yeh said the accident remains under investigation by Officer Thomas Everist.