Police Lights (Photo: Jason Rojas/Flickr)
A chaotic situation played out in Toms River Monday morning at about 8 a.m., when a driver who police say was intoxicated failed to navigate a turn in the road, then hit a marked New Jersey State Police car which, in turn, hit a school bus.
Tome River police were called to Whitesville Road, near the intersection of Leawood Avenue, to investigate. At the scene, investigators say they learned Heather Scoville, 36 of Toms River, was traveling east on Whitesville Road in the left lane. As Scoville was negotiating a curve in the roadway, she failed to keep right and entered the westbound traffic lane where she sideswiped an oncoming vehicle.
According to police spokeswoman Jillian Messina, after the initial impact, Scoville continued east in the westbound lane where she struck a marked New Jersey State Police SUV, causing the trooper’s vehicle to spin and strike an oncoming Toms River school bus, a street sign, and ultimately a utility pole, severely damaging it.
The bus did not have students in it at the time of the collision.
All drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. One victim was transported to the hospital for minor injuries sustained in the accident.
Scoville was cited with driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, reckless driving, and failure to maintain a lane. The accident is under investigation by Toms River Traffic Safety Officer Robert Westfall and Traffic Safety Officer Mark Nater.
