SOUTH BRUNSWICK – A driver pulling into a parking spot at the South Brunswick Library mistakenly hit the gas, causing the vehicle to hit a parked car and strike part of the library entrance.
The driver, Sunitha Maganti, 47, of the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, reportedly was pulling into the lot at 10:15 a.m. on March 26 in her 2013 Acura MDX when the crash happened, according to information provided by the South Brunswick Police Department. The incident unfolded directly in front of the library’s main entrance at 110 Kingston Lane just moments after it had opened, but no pedestrians were struck.
Officers found that when the driver hit the accelerator by mistake, the Acura struck a 2010 Lexus that was parked, then jumped a curb, and drove on the sidewalk for 50 feet while hitting railings at the library entrance, according to police. The Acura finally came to a stop when it struck a concrete wall for the handicap access ramp.
The crash caused more than $3,000 worth of damage to the exterior of the library but no structural damage, police said.
Police are reminding drivers to be alert while driving at all times, including in parking lots.
“When the library first opens, there is typically a lot of people near the entrance. We are just lucky in this instance that no one was injured,” Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said.
Maganti was issued a summons for careless driving.
The library remained open for the day.