MANCHESTER – The driver from a volunteer fire department was extricated from an SUV after hitting a utility pole, resulting in the vehicle overturning Tuesday evening, police said.
The incident occurred around 10:05 p.m. in the area of County Route 571 and Richard Road in the Ridgeway Section of town.
According to police, 43-year-old Brian Flanagan of Manchester was driving westbound on CR 571 in a Chevrolet Tahoe, marked from the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, after responding to a call for service. Flanagan had drifted off the road and subsequently hit a utility pole. This resulted in the SUV becoming airborne before striking the low voltage wires and overturning on its passenger side.
Police said the impact with the pole pulled a wire from a nearby home. The wires then hit a Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department fire truck that was following behind Flanagan.
Flanagan was extricated from the SUV and transported via Medevac helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment and evaluation of non-life threatening injuries.
Police said the driver of the fire truck, 53-year-old Michael Trimarchi of Manchester, and the front seat passenger, 31-year-old Stephen Newnom of Manchester, were uninjured in the crash.
Assisting at the scene were members of the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester Volunteer Fire Department, Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, Pleasant Plains Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services, Robert Wood Johnson Paramedics, RWJ Life Flight, and Accurate Towing. The roadway was closed for several hours during the investigation and cleanup, police said.
At this time, the investigation into this crash is ongoing. Police believe driver fatigue appears to be the cause of the crash.
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