Two People Trapped After Vehicle Flips Over Guardrail

Three people are lucky to be alive after the sport utility vehicle in which they were traveling slid off an Interstate 95 entrance ramp, flipped over a guardrail and came to rest on its side against some trees in Lawrence Township Sunday night (Aug. 21).

The accident occurred on the ramp leading onto Interstate 95 South from Route 1 (Brunswick Pike) South.

Volunteer firefighters from the township’s Lawrenceville, Slackwood and Lawrence Road fire companies were dispatched to the crash at 9:35 p.m.

Township police and emergency medical service personnel were alerted just moments earlier.

The first emergency responders arrived on the scene by 9:39 p.m., officials said. They found the vehicle resting on its driver’s side on a slope between the guardrail and several trees, about half-way up the entrance ramp.

The male driver and a female front passenger were trapped inside the wreckage. Another passenger, a male, had already gotten out on his own through the vehicle’s rear hatch, officials said.

Firefighters used a winch from one of the fire engines and other tools to stabilize the vehicle and prevent it from moving further as they worked to free the trapped man and woman.

Using various hydraulic rescue tools and a reciprocating saw, firefighters cut away a section of the roof. The woman was reported freed at 10:01 p.m., and the male was extricated just two minutes later.

All three people were rushed in ambulances to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.

Officials at the scene said the three were all conscious and their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by New Jersey State Police. The road was wet at the time from the rain that fell Sunday, however it was not immediately clear if that played a roll in the crash. 

The ramp leading onto Interstate 95 South from Route 1 South was closed to traffic for about two hours because of the crash.      

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