TOMS RIVER – An elderly driver was trapped in her vehicle after it collided with a street sweeper, causing her to be rescued by the fire department.
Police said Raffaela Crisp, 89, of Lavallette was heading east over the Mathis Bridge toward Seaside at around 11 a.m. on March 15. She went into the middle lane, sideswiping an Ocean County Road Department street sweeper.
Crisp was not wearing a seat belt, police said. She became pinned between the dashboard and her seat. She had to be extricated by the Toms River Fire Department.
She was treated at the scene by Toms River EMS and Robert Wood Johnson MICU. She was then brought to a landing zone where she was airlifted by Robert Wood Johnson Helicopter to Jersey Shore University Hospital. The driver of the street sweeper, who was not identified, was brought to Community Medical Center by Toms River EMS.
The eastbound bridge was closed while vehicles were removed and the crash cleaned. The accident is being investigated by Toms River Police Traffic Safety Officer Ryan Fitzgerald.
