Berkeley – Two Injured in DWI Crash on Route 9

A man was reportedly intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into a pole on Route 9 Friday night, January 10.

37 year-old Michael Longo was driving southbound at around 9:30 p.m. when his vehicle crossed onto the northbound lane before slamming into a utility pole in front of Mike’s Foreign Car repair continuing across the street and crashing into a Verizon pole in front of CG Landscape Supply. The utility pole then fell onto the vehicle, trapping Longo under the steering wheel and a passenger at the back seat.

Bayville Volunteer fire Company extracted Longo from his wrecked vehicle and took Longo, who was suffering from a left-leg injury, to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment. The passenger was taken to Community Medical center for treatment of minor left leg injuries.

Longo received summonses for driving while intoxicated, careless driving, reckless driving, having drugs in his car, and failure to maintain lane.

We would like to send our sympathies to the people injured in this crash. We hope they recover quickly from their injuries and hope the driver learns his lesson and becomes a more responsible driver.

Vehicular Accidents

Vehicular crashes are one of the most common causes of injuries and fatalities in the state of New Jersey. In a report published by the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accidents Investigation Unit, there were 591 recorded fatal crashes that occurred in 2017, which caused 624 fatalities.

In 158 of the 591 crashes, Driving While Intoxicated (alcohol and/or drugs) was listed as the major contributing factor. There were 174 people killed as a result of these 158 crashes. Speeding was another major contributing factor to these crashes being listed as a factor in 61 of the crashes. Driving while distracted seems to be the biggest factor as it was listed as a cause for 196 crashes.

We urge drivers to observe and follow the laws while driving, and to remain focused while driving so that they can react accordingly to situations that may suddenly pop up on the roadway. Drivers should be more careful when driving while visibility is low, and they should also check their car before going on the roadway. Being more diligent and prepared can help lessen accidents on the roads of New Jersey.