By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE – The New Jersey State Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a Millstone Township motor vehicle crash that left a teenager in serious condition on the afternoon of Dec. 27.
Personnel from the Millstone Township Fire Company responded to the scene of the crash near the intersection of Pine Hill Road and Stevenson Avenue at 1:31 p.m.
Pine Hill Road runs between Millstone and Stillhouse roads.
The emergency responders found the driver injured and trapped in her vehicle, according to a press release from the fire company.
Firefighters under the direction of Lt. Mike Maloney stabilized the vehicle and used hydraulic extraction tools to remove both doors on the driver’s side of the Range Rover and the support post on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
In an interview on Dec. 28, New Jersey State Police Trooper Lawrence Peele identified the driver as a 17-year-old female from Wellington, Fla. Peele said the teenager was traveling east on Pine Hill Road when she lost control of her vehicle.
He said the teenager sustained serious injuries as the Range Rover struck several stone posts before coming to rest on the right side of road.
The teenager was treated at the scene by personnel from the Millstone Township First Aid Squad and MONOC paramedics. She was transported to the Millstone Township Middle School, Dawson Court, where firefighters from neighboring Monroe Township Fire District No. 2 had established a helicopter landing zone, according to the press release.
The teenager was transported by a MONOC helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, according to the press release.
She was initially listed in serious condition, according to Peele.
Millstone Township Department of Public Works employees assisted with closing Pine Hill Road during the accident investigation.
As of Dec. 28, no charges had been filed against the driver and the accident remained under investigation by the state police, according to Peele.
As of Dec. 30, the teenager remained in the hospital in serious, but stable condition, according to Peele.