Wedding ceremony proceeds
after horse-and-buggy accident
OLD BRIDGE — A horse-drawn carriage carrying a bride and family members on their way to church flipped over and injured six of the occupants, leaving the driver in critical condition.
Larry A. Cella, 42, the owner of the Honky Tonk Ranch in Jackson, suffered head and chest injuries, broken ribs and a punctured lung when the 1920 Vista Vay Carriage he was driving unexpectedly tipped over at the intersection of Woodland and Greenwood avenues in Laurence Harbor.
According to police, the horse was moving north on Woodland Avenue and either slipped or tripped, causing it to veer left, which caused the carriage to jackknife and overturn at about 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1.
Cella and Nicholas Wagner, 6, were flown by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Cella was released from the intensive care unit and is presently in a step-down unit at the hospital, according to hospital officials. Wagner was treated for his injuries and later released.
Shirley Tripolitis, 61, the bride’s grandmother, was transported to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, and was treated for her injuries. Her husband, Nicholas, 63, sustained face injuries but refused medical attention, as did the bride’s niece, Cassidy Wagner, 8, according to police.
Bride Nicole Tripolitis, 28, of Laurence Harbor managed to join her soon-to-be husband, Ryan Francis, at the Laurence Harbor Community Church, where they were married around 6 p.m.