PORT REPUBLIC, N.J. - A van carrying six disabled, elderly residents of a group home swerved to avoid a deer, hit a utility pole and overturned this morning on a road at the Shore, officials said.
All seven were temporarily trapped and injured in the 9 a.m. crash on Old New York Road (County Route 575) in this Atlantic County town.
State Police said the passengers are residents of a nearby group home operated by the Pleasantville-based Caring Home Inc.
The patients apparently were being transported to medical appointments. Police said no one sustained life threatening injuries, but five of the passengers and driver were transported to two regional hospitals, according to Sgt. Kris Gertson, of the State Police.
The eldest passenger - a woman - was flown to Cooper University Hospital in Camden to relieve the area hospitals and so she could get a thorough examination, said State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones.
He said the driver, Chrystal Aikens, 23, swerved to avoid hitting a deer and hit a utility pole, flipping the 15-passenger van on its side. She was cited for careless driving.
Traffic in the area had to be rerouted for more than two hours as crews worked to replace the large utility pole and repair wires damaged in the accident.
