Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Couple Hospitalized After Route 1 Crash

West Windsor police report two people were flown from the scene in helicopters to Trenton trauma center.

 

A couple from New Brunswick, Canada, was injured when their motor home flipped after being struck on Route 1 in West Windsor on Monday afternoon.

Verne and Louise Beers, of Lower Woodstock, were flown to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton after being extricated from their overturned motor home.

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Shortly before 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Verne Beers, 68, was in serious condition and Louise Beers, 55, was listed in fair condition, according to a hospital spokesperson Don MacNeill.

The Beers were driving a 1987 Ford motor home north on Route 1 when they were struck at 3:29 p.m. by a 2006 Kia driven by Fady Abdelhady, 22, of King of Prussia, Pa., just north of the Quakerbridge Road overpass, said Sgt. Thomas Tarr, of the West Windsor Police Traffic Bureau. Abdelhady was driving in the left lane when he lost control of his car.

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The motor home, which was being driven by Verne Beers, then slid and vaulted onto its side and flipped onto its top. The couple was trapped in the motor home and extricated by personnel from West Windsor Emergency Services, Tarr said.

Louise Beers was pulled from the vehicle first, followed a few minutes later by her husband.

The Beers were towing an SUV when they were struck, police said. Several news outlets initially reported that the motor home was struck by an SUV.

Abdelhady was not injured in the accident, Tarr said.

West Windsor was aided on scene by emergency personnel from Princeton Junction, Princeton and Lawrence Township.

The accident is under investigation by West Windsor Patrolman Michael McMahon.

Ramps to Quakerbridge Road and Route 1 northbound were closed for several hours after the crash. The road was reopened at 7:30 p.m., but police continued to report significant delays in the area.

In Woodstock, New Brunswick on Tuesday afternoon. Todd MacLeod — the administrative pastor at Jacksonville United Baptist Church where the Beers have attended for many years — said the couple were on their way home from vacationing in Florida when the accident occurred.

He described the Beers as a respected couple within the church.

“(Verne and Louise) are very loved and respected because of their kindness and the fact they both really reflect God’s love,” MacLeod said.

MacLeod talked about local reaction to the news.

“Our thoughts go immediately to their physical well being, but also how do you respond when (they are so) far away. It is my understanding that there are members of (Verne’s) family in that area so they are not alone,” said MacLeod. “We’re getting the word out there so people can be in prayer for Verne and Louise.”

Doug Dickinson of The Bugle-Observer, in Woodstock, N.B. contributed reporting to this story.


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