Police Log: Winter Snow Storm Brings Traffic Headaches

More than 30 traffic incidents in one day.

The Jan. 21, 2014 snow storm caused some problems for drivers.

This week’s snow storm caused more than 40 traffic incidents on township streets between Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, police said.

The bulk of them – 32, to be exact – occurred between about 11 a.m. and midnight on Jan. 21, while the snow was still falling.

Police said 20 of the incidents were accidents, while 22 involved disabled vehicles. Three of those accidents resulted in injuries, and another three were hit-and-runs, police said.

Here’s a rundown of some of the incidents:

Jan. 21

Carl Brewer of Perth Amboy was cited for careless driving and driving without insurance after the car he was driving rear-ended one driven on DeMott Lane by Fatmata Sillah of Edison. Sillah said she stopped for another car backing out of its driveway when her car was hit. Brewer said his car slid on the snowy road.

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Karen Barnes of Somerset, a postal carrier, was driving her Postal Service truck on Butler Road when she pulled over to let a bus pass. As she did so, she told police, the truck slid into a ditch. As she was extricating the truck out of the ditch, she hit a small tree.

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Fabian Reyes of Somerset told police that he was driving down Route 27, approaching the traffic light at Douglas Avenue, when a pickup truck with a plow blew the red light on Douglas and turned left onto Rt. 27. Reyes said he tried to avoid an accident, but his car slid on the snowy road into one driven by Nelly Cochran, also of Somerset. Reyes’s car then bounced off of Cochran’s car and into one behind it, driven by Thomas Mahon of Somerset.

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Jan. 22

Annmarie Stevens of Dayton was cited for careless driving after the car she was driving rear-ended a car driven by Jose Melgar-Rivera of South Plainfield. Melgar-Rivera said he was stopped at the light at John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Easton Avenue, in the left turn lane, when his vehicle was struck, Stevens said she tried to stop, but could not.

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David Ritschel was plowing Jacques Lane for the township when, he told police, his truck slid on the ice and struck a telephone pole.

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Julia He of Princeton was driving on South Middlebush Road when she came upon a Bobcat mini snow plow, driven by Eddie Ivanez of South Plainfield. He told police that Ivanez was driving too slow, so she tried to pass him on the left. At the same time, Ivanez started a left turn onto Verrazano Drive, and the two collided. He was cited for improper passing, and Ivanzez was cited for being an unlicensed driver.

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Travis Reed of Rowland, NC was cited for careless driving after his car hot a parked car on Drake Road, owned by Theresa Lyons of Somerset. Reed told police he was trying to slow down when his car slid on the snowy road.

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A car owned by Nicole Broadnax of Somerset was struck while it was parked on Edith Drive. The driver of the other car left the scene, police said.

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Christopher Lozak of Belle Mead was cited for careless driving after he was involved in an accident at Route 27 and South Middlebush Road. Lozak told police that he thought a car driven by Angna Kaul of Princeton was slowing down as they approached the Rt. 27.South Middlebush traffic light from opposite sides. She wasn’t, he tried to make his tun, and the two collided.

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