Route 206 closed after Hamilton man
crashes into vehicle driven by Deborah Smith
By:Alec Moore
Deborah Smith was making her way home along Route 206 on Tuesday just before "the unthinkable happened."
Ms. Smith had picked up her 3-year-old and 5-year-old children from day care and was traveling north on Route 206, when a driver suddenly cut across the center of the road and slammed into her vehicle.
"He came straight at me from the other side of the road, there was no way I could avoid him," said Ms. Smith, who was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
As a result of the accident, Ms. Smith suffered a collapsed lung, a broken clavicle, a broken shoulder blade and injuries that required numerous sutures injuries that are not life-threatening but very serious, nonetheless. Ms. Smith’s two children, who were strapped into child safety seats in the back of Ms. Smith’s 2000 Kia Sephia, were not harmed during the accident and sat alongside a grassy strip near the shoulder of the road as they waited for the police to arrive.
"This couldn’t have happened at a worse time," said Ms. Smith, a former AT&T employee who was laid off last year and is without medical insurance.
Following the accident, which occurred at approximately 5:33 p.m., one-eighth of a mile north of Valley Road on Route 206, the southbound lanes of Route 206 were backed up for several miles.
According to police, the accident was caused by 68-year-old Ernesto Ramirez of Hamilton, who was traveling south on Route 206 in a 1997 Chevy van.
Mr. Ramirez was taken to Somerset Medical Center for treatment following the accident. Officials at Somerset Medical Center would not comment on Mr. Ramirez’s condition but stated that he was released that same night. No charges have been filed against Mr. Ramirez, but the accident is still under investigation. Police expect to question Mr. Ramirez about the accident in the coming days.
Following the initial investigation of the accident, police said it appears that Mr. Ramirez crossed over the double center line in the roadway, entering the northbound lane of oncoming traffic before striking the vehicle being driven by 37-year old Royce Court resident Deborah Smith.
Ms. Smith, who has four other children in addition to the two who were with her during the accident, is undergoing physical therapy. Ms. Smith’s mother is helping to care for her children while she is in the hospital.
In addition to the Hillsborough Police Department, Hillsborough Rescue Squad, Hillsborough Fire Company 37 and Somerset Medical Center Mobile Intensive Care Unit also responded to the accident scene.
The 2000 Kia Sephia Ms. Smith was driving was totaled by the accident.
"I really loved that car," she said jokingly.