Monroe man dies in Rt. 9 crash
By sue m. morgan
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — A Monroe Township man died and his two passengers were injured after the limousine he was driving crashed into the rear of a stopped commuter bus on Route 9 Tuesday during afternoon rush hour traffic.
According to police, Bernard Libou, 71, of Westminster Drive, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, after being transported there by helicopter.
Libou’s passengers, Lai Chun Hung, 43, and So Shan Ming, 36, both of Hong Kong, were also taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for their injuries.
At press time, the hospital listed Hung in satisfactory condition. A hospital spokeswoman had no record of Ming’s condition, however.
The accident occurred at 4:45 p.m. when an Academy bus, stopped in the center southbound lane of Route 9 for a red traffic signal at Cindy Street, was rear-ended by the 1985 Lincoln limousine driven by Libou.
When police arrived at the scene, a paramedic who had been traveling in the vicinity had already stopped to assist Libou, who was trapped inside the car, police said. Both Libou and Hung, the front seat passenger, had to be extricated from the vehicle, according to Old Bridge Police Lt. Jack Sweeney.
Libou and Hung were then transported by helicopter, while Ming, the rear seat passenger, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, police said.
Of the 28 passengers on the bus, three were transported by ambulance to CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, Monmouth County, where they were treated for minor injuries and released, Sweeney said.
The driver of the Academy bus, William Grone of the Whitehouse section of Readington Township, Hunterdon County, was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, for a blood sample and later released. Grone was not reported to be injured, Sweeney said.
Police reports indicate that the accident tied up traffic along the busy Route 9 corridor for several hours. A township official said the accident caused traffic to back up as far as the Lowe’s home improvement warehouse, located at Route 9 and Perrine Road.
Police are continuing to investigate, Sweeney said. Anyone with information regarding the accident should contact Detective Crocco or Detective Doherty at the Old Bridge Township Police Department at (732) 721-5600, ext. 3490.