MANCHESTER, N.J. — A 61-year-old woman was taken to a trauma center Wednesday afternoon after a suspected impaired driving crash that brought down power lines and sent her vehicle into a wooded area, police said.
Lisa Leith, of Manchester, was driving a red 2024 Nissan Frontier westbound on Commonwealth Boulevard around 12:58 p.m. when she failed to negotiate a curve near Third Street, according to Manchester Township Police. The vehicle struck street signs, a utility pole, and several trees before overturning and coming to rest on its roof approximately 20 yards into the woods.
Responding officers found the utility pole severed in half with high-voltage lines down across the roadway. Leith was extricated from the vehicle and transported in stable condition to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by emergency services with assistance from Robert Wood Johnson paramedics.
Police said impairment is believed to be the primary factor in the crash. Leith has been charged on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
The investigation remains ongoing by members of the department’s Traffic Safety Unit.