scene of two mishaps,
investigations on Aug. 5
Gordons Corner Road
scene of two mishaps,
DAVE BENJAMIN Manalapan police officers Reginald Grant (l) and Frank Krause investigate the scene of a one-vehicle accident on Gordons Corner Road. The Aug. 5 mishap in which a fire hydrant was struck created a situation in which water service was temporarily disrupted.
investigations on Aug. 5
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — Gordons Corner Road has been the scene of many auto accidents in the past and two more were added to that list on Aug. 5.
At 3:53 p.m. Aug. 5, John J. Young, 21, of Manalapan, was driving west on Gordons Corner Road, just east of Merion Drive, when he lost control of his vehicle, a green 2001 Dodge Dakota owned by Caroline Pittius of Hazlet.
According to a police report, the vehicle struck a fire hydrant on the opposite side of the road and then flipped over onto its right side. The windshield of the vehicle appeared to be shattered.
Water began flowing from the pipe where the hydrant was located, flooding the road. The actual hydrant could not be found by responders at the scene.
"According to a representative from the water company, the water will be turned off for a long period of time, [possibly] several hours," said Steve Burdick, chief of the Gordons Corner Fire Company.
The police report also noted that the vehicle slid about 35 feet following its impact with the fire hydrant and came to rest in the eastbound right lane.
The report also indicated that the driver received injuries to his right hand.
Resident Joe Colonna of Gordons Corner Road said volunteers with the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad responded and transported the driver from the accident scene.
"His hand was all cut up," Colonna said.
A report issued by police noted that Young sustained a hand injury which required five stitches to close and complained of pain from hitting his head.
Colonna told a reporter, "The car was on fire. Right there on the end (pointing to the front underside of the vehicle). It looked like the oil was burning. My father-in-law and I helped the guy out of the car. He was trying to climb out on his own. We climbed up there and got him out."
Damage was also done to a mailbox at 395 Gordons Corner Road and to the lawns at 395 and 397 Gordons Corner Road.
Employees from the Gordons Corner Water Company, Marlboro, responded to the accident scene and first had to locate the shut-off valves which were located near Route 9 and also in the vicinity of Merion Drive.
"The water was probably running for about an hour," said David Ern, manager of the water company. "We did an actual shutdown for about a half hour, also."
Ern said the problem was worked on that afternoon and the water service was reactivated.
"There was so much water there that we couldn’t get the isolation valve for the hydrant located until we shut the main down," he said. "With the main [shut] down and the water stopped, we could find the appropriate valve for the hydrant, shut that off and then we could reactivate the actual main. Then we were back in service."
Ern said residents were back in service at about 5:30 p.m.
"The water was running for about an hour," he said. "It could have been a lot worse. It turned out better than we had anticipated."
It may have been better for the water company, but not so for the driver of the vehicle. In addition to his injuries, Young received a summons for careless driving.
Responding to the accident were the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad, the Gordons Corner Fire Company, the Manalapan Police Department and the Gordons Corner Water Company. Calabro’s Towing removed the vehicle from the scene.
Police Officer Reginald Grant is investigating the accident.
That was the second accident of the day on Gordons Corner Road.
Earlier, a black Dodge pickup truck pulled out of the Yorktowne Shopping Center and caused a vehicle being driven by Steffany R. Brooks of Manalapan, a 2001 Oldsmobile Brava, to swerve from the westbound right lane into the westbound left lane.
Brooks struck a 1997 Toyota Avalon being driven by Edith Moseman of Manalapan on the rear passenger side. Moseman’s car spun 180 degrees into oncoming traffic and came to a rest on a curb in the vicinity of the CVS pharmacy parking lot, facing east, a police report said.
Meanwhile, the vehicle driven by Brooks skidded, hit a curb and a telephone pole.
The black Dodge did not stop and was seen heading west on Gordons Corner Road after causing the collision by carelessly pulling out of the Yorktowne Shopping Center, according to the police report. A partial New Jersey license plate containing the letters and number LZ6 was obtained from witnesses.
Anyone with information regarding the owner of the black Dodge is asked to call police at (732) 446-4300. Police Officer Jenny Barron is investigating this accident.