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APRIL 26 , 2001 MOTOR
VEHICLE ACCIDENT Merritt Drive, Lawrence Township At 3:09 a.m. on Thursday, April 26, 2001, Lawrence Road Fire Co. volunteers were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident with possible entrapment in front of the house at 7 Merritt Drive. Also dispatched were an ambulance and Rescue 129 from Lawrence First Aid Squad. Chief John Fleming responded at 3:10 a.m., followed one minute later by Rescue 129. Rescue 22 responded at 3:12 a.m. with a crew that included Assistant Chief Wayne Hannon, Ff. Michael Ratcliffe, Ff. Steven Amiott, and Ff. Shaun Dlabik. Capt. Gary Wasko, who lives just a few blocks away on Barnett Road, responded straight to the scene and arrived before apparatus. He reported that there was no entrapment and that the driver was already out of the vehicle. Fleming, the ambulance, Rescue 129, and Rescue 22 all arrived at 3:15 a.m. to find a BMW resting on its side in the driveway in front of 7 Merritt Drive. The driver, identified by police as Colin Boucher, 20, of Washington Township, had been driving west when he lost control, struck a curb, and skidded along a sidewalk. The vehicle came to rest on its side after narrowly missing a utility pole and a tree. (Boucher was later charged by police with drunken driving and reckless driving.) Boucher had the tip of his left ring finger sliced off during the accident. Lawrence Road Ff./EMT Kris Palmer, who was riding as a member of the ambulance crew that night, found the finger in the wreckage. Boucher and the finger piece were rushed in the ambulance to Capital Health System at Fuld hospital, however it was unknown if doctors were able to reattach the finger. Rescue 129 was recalled at 3:25 a.m., but Rescue 22 remained on scene to stand by while a tow truck removed the overturned vehicle. Rescue 22 finally cleared the scene at 3:53 a.m. and, after escorting the tow truck to the township line, returned to quarters by 4 a.m. |
