Black Ice Ties Up Ryders Lane

Two drivers, including one police officer, lost control of their cars Friday morning because of black ice on Ryders Lane.

On Friday, Dec. 9, at approximately 7:52 a.m., East Brunswick Police Units responded to Ryders Lane near Montclair Court for a motor vehicle accident with injuries. 

Police said a 1997 Lexus, driven by Stacy Coates, of Milltown, was travelling south on Ryders Lane when her vehicle hit black ice causing her to lose control of her car.

The vehicle struck the curb and went airborne onto the grass median. Her vehicle then struck a 1995 Lexus driven by Khan Shahar, of East Brunswick, who had been travelling in the opposite direction.  The impact of the collision caused injuries to both drivers. 

The accident is under investigation by Officer James Angermeier Jr. of the East Brunswick Police Department’s Special Operations Division.

Coates suffered a head laceration and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital by Trans Med with non-life threatening injuries.

Shahar suffered neck pain and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital by Spotswood EMS with non-life threatening injuries.

While responding to the accident, Patrolman Joseph Bauer hit a patch of black ice on Ryders Lane near Sudbury Court and lost control of his marked police vehicle.  As a result of the icy conditions Patrolman Bauer struck the curb and then a tree on the adjacent side of the road.  Patrolman Bauer suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.

Ryders Lane was closed for approximately a half hour while the accidents were being investigated and a sand truck could cover the black ice.