Princeton Packet
2 December 1981
Weather stymies area’s motorists
by Pam Hersh
and James Greiff
Staff Writers
Icy road conditions on Tuesday, particularly during the busy shopping hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., presented area motorists with some unwanted surprises.
Princeton Township Police reported a half-dozen car accidents, and Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad paramedic, Joe Dermen, said the Princeton Medical Center (PMC) emergency room was “crawling” during the mid-day hours.
Mr. Dermen estimated that 12 ambulances brought accident victims into the PMC emergency room, but “out of that bunch, I would guess only one or two people were admitted.” PMC emergency room officials would not comment on the work load, but the nursing supervisor said that the hospital did not admit any of the persons reported injured in the Princeton Township road accidents.
MOTORISTS TRAVELING the roads in Montgomery Township also met with difficulties, especially on the eight- mile stretch of Route 518 from Hopewell to Rocky Hill. West Windsor and Plainsboro police reported few incidents.
In Lawrence Township Route 1 and Interstate 295 were closed by state and local police shorty after 10 a.m. due to the icy conditions. Police said fire engines were used to block Route 1 at its Whitehead Road exit. 1-295 was closed near its intersection with Route 1.
Lawrence police said there were so many accidents they were unable to handle them all. The highways were reopened a short time later.
The most dramatic accident occurred at 9:47 a.m. at the Stony Brook bridge, where Quaker Road intersects with Stockton Street/Route 206. A car driven
by 61-year-old Lawrence Township resident Elizabeth Penrose flipped onto the
embankment at the edge of the brook. The nose of the car was embedded into the
embankment and the roof of the car was leaning against tree.;
The Princeton First Aid Squad, the Lawrence Township First Aid Squad, the Princeton Township police, and two Princeton fire companies worked for two
hours to extricate the woman from the car.
“Our main concern was that the car would slip and fall into the brook. The tree was not a very sturdy support. In addition, there was a strong smell of gas.
and we worried about fire.“ Mr. Derman said.
AN ARRAY of stabilizing and extrica-
See WEATHER, page 20A
Weather
(Continued from page 1A)
tion devices resulted in the successful removal of the woman from the car. Mrs. Penrose, treated at and released from Princeton Medical Center, was “a very lucky lady,” in the words of Mr. Dermen.
The state Department of Environmental Protection was notified of the gasoline spill in the brook and appropriate measures for cleanup will be taken,” according to the township police.
THE TOWNSHIP S other major fender bender accidents with no major injuries occurred at Princeton/Kingston Road and River Road, Snowden Lane and Rollingmead, Jefferson and Terhune Roads. The Princeton Borough police reported no traffic accidents resulting from the icy road conditions.
A weather induced pedestrian accident occurred when a 14-year-old Hun School student slipped on the ice and was knocked unconscious. He was admitted to Princeton Hospital, but his condition is not known.