Crime & Safety

Car Crash at Valley Intersection Follows Traffic Report on Low Collisions

Morning Van Dien—Linwood crash leaves drivers with minor injuries.

Two cars collided this morning at the intersection outside The Valley Hospital two days after a traffic consultant said accident rates in the area were low.

Ridgewood emergency service officials responded to a two-car motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Linwood and North Van Dien Avenues today at 10:40 a.m., Ridgewood Fire Captain John Sharo said.

The intersection has received scrutiny recently as the Planning Board nears a decision on a Master Plan amendment to potentially increase hospital mass 200 percent. If approved, the road at the intersection would be widened to accommodate additional turning lanes.

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Fire crews arrived on scene at 10:56 a.m. to remove trapped drivers. From Sharo's view, the cars collided on a 90-degree angle—not head-on—with one driver traveling on Linwood from the east and the other moving south on Van Dien.

Sharo deferred to the Ridgewood Police Department for specific investigation information, as fire officials were predominately involved in cleanup following a fuel spill. Ridgewood police did not immediately return requests for information. 

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Fire officials successfully rescued entrapped drivers and the motorists were taken to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries, Sharo said.

Flatbed trucks were needed to remove each vehicle, as neither was drivable, he said.

Answering questions at the June 14 Planning Board meeting, traffic consultant Joseph Staigar said nine accidents occurred within 50 feet of the intersection from 2005 to 2007, which he said was a relatively low amount. He said the road widening should ease traffic congestion.

Residents who have opposed the project have cited increased traffic as a hazard to student walking by the hospital to the adjacent Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The board plans on ruling on the project at a special meeting June 21. 

Photos of the accident were provided by activist group spokesman Paul Gould from the Concerned Residents of Ridgewood—an organization opposed to the Valley Renewal project.


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