Three people were sent to area hospitals with serious injuries. The accused has five previous convictions and one outstanding summons for drinking and driving.
By: Matthew Armstrong
A Bridgewater man, who police said had five prior convictions and one outstanding summons for drinking and driving, is again being charged with driving under the influence following a head-on collision last week with another vehicle on Route 535.
The accident sent three people to area hospitals for treatment of serious injuries.
Police said Walter Binick, 48, was driving a 1987 Jeep Cherokee northbound on Route 535 at 8:40 p.m. Feb. 28 when his vehicle drifted across the yellow line and hit a southbound 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis with two 67-year-old occupants, Janine and Richard Devaux of Plainsboro.
Patrol Officer Jim Ryan said Mr. Binick had five prior convictions for drunken driving and had been scheduled to appear in court again this week on a December drunken driving charge.
According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Mr. Binick’s blood-alcohol content after last week’s accident was 0.2 percent, double the legal limit.
The crash left Ms. Devaux with a partially severed lower right leg and Mr. Devaux with a shoulder fracture. They were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick where Ms. Devaux underwent surgery to reattach her leg and was in stable condition Tuesday. Mr. Devaux was treated and released.
Mr. Binick was flown to University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark by Medi-vac helicopter to have surgery performed on a detached retina and lacerations to his face.
In addition to charges of driving under the influence, Mr. Binick is charged with reckless driving, failure to keep right, being an uninsured driver, driving with a suspended license, driving without a seatbelt and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle, police said.
Mr. Binick was supposed to appear in municipal court Tuesday for a DUI summons for an incident in December, said police. Bail was set at $150,000 with no 10 percent option for the most recent charges and he is under watch at University Hospital by the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department. Police said was expected to be transferred to Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center on Wednesday.
If convicted Mr. Binick faces five to 10 years in jail for second degree aggravated assault. The charge was upgraded Friday from fourth degree because of prior convictions and the extremely high blood alcohol levels, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.