Locals rush to aid after van accident
By: Joseph Harvie
A driver and his six developmentally disabled passengers were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and treated for injuries they suffered following an accident Tuesday on Ridge Road in Dayton.
The accident occurred at 2:40 p.m. when the 2003 Ford passenger van, operated by The Arc of Middlesex County, swerved off the road, struck a utility pole splitting it in two and landed on its side in the middle of the road, said South Brunswick police spokesman Detective James Ryan.
Detective Ryan said the driver, Donald Carson, 44, of East Brunswick, told police that he lost control of the van when he attempted to adjust his mirror.
The van had just left the Arc Career Center in South Brunswick to drive the passengers home, Detective Ryan said.
Arc is a nonprofit group that works for the advancement of mentally disabled people.
Police identified the injured passengers as John Drake, 42, Maryann Lucion, 37, Connie Sica, 25, Jonathan Miller, 22, Marie Cardona, 50, and Lulu Bast, 73. They were all taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Police did not know the extent of the injuries.
Patrol Officer Robert Weiler, one of the first officers to respond, saw fire coming from the engine of the van and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
Six of the injured were able to walk away from the scene. One passenger was trapped in the bus and members of the Monmouth Junction Fire Department worked for about a half-hour to get her out. While rescuers were able to get the back doors open, they had to pry open the rear wheelchair lift, which was stuck in the up position.
Once the firefighters got the lift gate down, members of the South Brunswick EMS and Kendall Park First Aid squad secured the injured woman on a gurney, placed her in an ambulance and took her to the hospital.
Doctors with offices in the nearby Dayton Professional Center and their nurses, along with Ridge Road residents, helped the passengers and assisted EMS workers in caring for the injured, Detective Ryan said.
Gianna Potts, 23, of Ridge Road, said that she was in the shower when she heard a loud crash outside. She immediately got dressed and ran outside, only to see the van on the ground and the broken utility pole. Her mother and three workers at Images Hair Design, which is across the street from the accident site, helped to get some of the passengers out of the van prior to the police arriving, Ms. Potts said.
In addition, two good Samaritans who were traveling behind the van also stopped to help, Ms. Potts said.
Ms. Potts, a pediatric nurse at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, said she also tried to calm the passengers as she helped.
"They were confused," Ms. Potts said. "They didn’t know where they were and they were scared."
Rose Nelidin, who works at Images Hair Design, said she saw the van fall on its side and immediately called 911.
Ms. Potts said that once the passengers were taken from the vehicle they sat them on her front porch and comforted them. Once police arrived, they took control of the scene.
Police Chief Raymond Hayducka credited the community members who came to the aid of the victims.
"With wires hanging and a pole split, at least six residents along with two doctors came to the aid of the injured prior to police arriving," Chief Hayducka said. "We get paid to place our lives at risk, but these citizens exemplified the outstanding community we live in."
South Brunswick EMS, Kendall Park First Aid Squad, and Monmouth Junction Fire Department responded to the accident. Ridge Road between Madison Place and Georges Road remained closed at of 5 p.m. The accident remains under investigation.

