Crime & Safety

Two Taken to Hospital Following Collision on Route 206

The Friday afternoon two-car crash forced Lawrence police to shut the road for about 40 minutes.

Two people were injured in a two-car collision in Lawrence Township that forced police to close Lawrence Road (Route 206) in both directions for about 40 minutes Friday afternoon (Aug. 19).

The accident, reported at 2:54 p.m., occurred in the 3200 block of Lawrence Road, just north of Fackler Road.

Michael Johnson, a 71-year-old resident of Lawrence Road, had pulled out of the driveway of his home and was trying to make a left turn to go north when the front passenger’s side of his 2008 Toyota Camry collided at an angle with the front driver’s side of the 2008 Kia Spectra that was being driven northbound by Abdu Ives, 31, of Deerfield Lane in Jamesburg, according to Lawrence Township police Sgt. Joseph Caloiaro.

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Southbound traffic on Lawrence Road was stopped at the time because of a red light at the Carter Road intersection. A southbound motorist left a gap to allow Johnson to pull out of his driveway, but another “large” vehicle stopped in the southbound lane obscured Johnson’s view of northbound traffic so that he did not see Ives’ northbound car until it was too late to avoid the collision, Caloiaro explained.

Michael Johnson was not injured but his passenger – his wife, Maria Johnson, 66 – complained of pain following the crash, as did Ives, Caloiaro said. He said both Maria Johnson and Ives were transported by a Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad ambulance to University Medical Center at Princeton to be checked out as a precaution.

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Township firefighters were dispatched to the scene as well because of initial reports that someone was stuck in one of the vehicles. But no one was trapped and the injuries were all minor in nature, Caloiaro said.

He said Officer Steve Simon investigated the accident and issued Michael Johnson a ticket for careless driving.

Southbound traffic on Lawrence Road was brought to a standstill because of the accident, while northbound traffic was detoured onto Carter Road. Lawrence Road was reopened to traffic in both directions shortly after 3:30 p.m. after the wreckage had been removed by tow trucks.


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