A female driver was airlifted to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center on Friday afternoon after her car crashed through the front of 25 Pompton Avenue .
According to Verona Police Department Capt. Stephen DePoe, the Verona dispatch received a call at 2:45 p.m. that a car travelling east on Claremont Avenue had crossed Pompton Avenue and crashed through the window of the office building. The rescue effort that followed was captured by a CBS news helicopter, and you can view its footage here. The Verona Police Department, Fire Department and Rescue Squad all responded to the scene. Cedar Grove’s police and rescue squad also provided assistance at the scene.
The car completely entered the building and the Verona Department of Public Works had to put temporary supports in the hole it left in the building to stabilize the large opening. When the victim was finally extricated, the Verona Rescue Squad slowly transported her to the trauma transport helicopter from St. Joseph’s, which had landed on the field behind Brookdale Avenue elementary school. Capt. DePoe said that no one was in the street-level office at the time of the crash.
On Friday evening, Capt. DePoe declined to identify the driver or provide information on her condition, but he praised those involved in handling the crash. “It was an excellent job by all of Verona’s first responders,” he said.
Dt. Sgt. Tim Banta from the Verona Police Department is handling the investigation into the crash.
