Texting driver crosses double yellow line on Ridge Road and strikes tractor trailer head on

 

Just after 1 p.m. on Monday, a driver was texting while driving on Ridge Road and hit a tractor trailer, police said.

Pava Dama, 33, of East Windsor was driving a 2007 Volkswagen Jetta westbound when he crossed over the double yellow line and struck an eastbound tractor trailer nearly head on. The tractor trailer, a 2008 Freightliner, was being driven by Waldemar Borkowski, 68, of East Stousburg, Pa.

The crash ruptured the tractor trailer’s fuel tank and spilled diesel fuel all over the roadway. The force of the crash ripped the Volkswagen’s engine out of the car onto the roadway 20 feet away. Witnesses reported seeing the Jetta swerve all over the road just before the crash as the driver was texting. There were no serious injuries. Dama was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving, failure to maintain a lane, crossing double yellow line, and use of wireless cellphone while operating a motor vehicle.

“It is a miracle that neither driver was seriously injured or killed as a result of this driver texting,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “This crash was entirely preventable. I am not sure what was so critical in a text message that would allow you to take your eyes off the road and hit a tractor trailer head on.”

Earlier in the day another driver crashed on the same road. A 17-year-old was driving a 1994 Ford Mustang westbound near the Monmouth Junction Post Office and lost control of the car. The Mustang crashed into a house at 646 Ridge Road and damaged the home. The driver was uninjured and was issued a summons for careless driving.

Ride Road was closed for about two hours today because of the crashes.

Police have targeted this area of Ridge Road for enhanced enforcement. Officers have issued 40 summonses in the past week on Ridge Road near the crash location. Police said they will continue to have enhanced presence and enforcement in the area.

Avatar of Krystal Knapp

Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.

2 Comments

  1. If these same accidents had occurred before seat/shoulder belts, air bags, collapsible steering wheels and padded dash boards, the outcomes would have been very different. I’m sure some troll will mock what I stated. Have at it.

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