SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A motor vehicle accident sent a 21-year veteran officer of the South Brunswick Police Department to the hospital on Oct. 31.
At 9:30 a.m., Patrolman First Class Peter Burdick was reportedly making a left turn from Route 130 south onto Fresh Ponds Road. As he made the turn, his patrol car was broadsided by a 2011 Hyundai Sonata that was being driven by Arpita Shah, 29, of North Brunswick, and that was headed north on Route 130, according to a statement released by the South Brunswick Police Department.
Burdick was transported by South Brunswick EMS to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was treated for head and back injuries.
Shah was issued summonses for careless driving, failing to stop for a red traffic signal and having an unsafe vehicle.
“Even the most routine police activity can have risks. Luckily, PFC Burdick is recovering at home, but we should never take for granted the efforts officers make every day to keep our community safe,” Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.