Two People Hurt as Vehicle Flips Over on Route 1

Two people escaped with only minor injuries when the sport utility vehicle in which they were traveling flipped over several times along the southbound side of Route 1 (Brunswick Pike), just north of Interstate 295, in Lawrence Township this afternoon (Wednesday, May 25).

Township police, emergency medical personnel and firefighters were alerted to the accident just minutes before 1 p.m.

Lawrence Township police said the vehicle was traveling south when its driver decided to make a last-minute lane change in an effort to pull into the Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant. The sport utility vehicle – a Honda Element – reportedly cut in front of a tractor-trailer, causing the driver of the larger vehicle to slam on his brakes to stop.

Police identified the driver of the Honda as Christine Beneciuk, 32, of Pine Beach, Ocean County, and her passenger was 40-year-old Clark Daniel Laucik. The driver of the tractor-trailer, according to police, was Salvador Rueda, 45, of Union.

During the lane change, police said, the Honda made contact with the tractor-trailer. That impact caused the sport utility vehicle to flip over several times before coming to rest on the access road leading to the restaurant.

Southbound traffic along Route 1 was slowed for about an hour because of the accident.

Police said Beneciuk was issued a ticket for careless driving.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. The original version incorrectly stated the number of people hurt. Only two people were traveling in the Honda Element (driver and passenger). The third person noted in the original report was not a passenger in the Honda; he was later correctly identified as the driver of the tractor-trailer and was not injured.