2 Women Hurt When SUV Hits Manchester Home

MANCHESTER, NJ — Two women were injured Monday when a driver suffered an apparent medical episode and her vehicle hit a home, Manchester Township police said.

Patricia Roberts, 73, of Forked River, and Bianca Lehman, 93, of Whiting, were injured in the crash on Bellhaven Court that happened just after 8:30 a.m. Monday, Manchester Lt. Vincent Manco said.

Roberts was driving a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe and was stopped at the intersection of Myrtle Place and Schoolhouse Road when she apparently suffered the medical episode, Manco said.

It caused her to inadvertently step on the accelerator and the Hyundai drove across Schoolhouse Road, between two homes, hit landscape bushes, a gutter and part of an aluminum awning before crossing Bellhaven Court and hitting the corner of a house, Manco said.

Roberts was conscious and alert when officers arrived; she was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, Manco said. Lehman was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, and her injuries also were not believed to be life-threatening, he said. Both women were wearing their seatbelts and the front airbags deployed during the crash, Manco said.

No one was inside the home at the time of the crash, he said.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, but at this point, the possible medical episode Roberts suffered appears to be the main contributing factor, Manco said.

Assisting at the scene were EMTs from Manchester Township Emergency Services, as well as paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Also assisting were members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, members of the Joint Base Fire Department, and the Manchester Township building inspector.

Patrolman Michael O’Hara is investigating.