Bakers Basin Rd. Closed After Vehicle Hits Utility Pole

Update: Bakers Basin Road was reopened to traffic about 12:30 p.m. Friday, according to Lawrence Township police.

Bakers Basin Road in Lawrence Township will be closed to traffic through this morning’s (Friday, Oct. 28) commute due to a one-vehicle crash late Thursday that snapped a utility pole in half and caused electrical wires to fall in the road.

The accident in the 200 block of Bakers Basin Road was discovered just before 11 p.m. Thursday by Officer Michael Whitmore who was on his way to the township public works facility to refuel his patrol car, police Sgt. Chris Longo said.

Longo said Dineshkum Patel, 49, of Maple Leaf Drive in Lawrence, was driving his 2005 Toyota 4 Runner eastbound, away from Route 1, when he lost control and slammed into the utility pole.

Additional police officers, a Lawrence Township ambulance crew, paramedics from Capital Health System and volunteer firefighters from the Slackwood, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville fire companies all responded to the scene.

A fire engine from Hamilton, which happened to be in the area at the time, helped block traffic at Bakers Basin Road and Basin Road.

Patel was unable to safely exit the vehicle until Public Service Electric & Gas utility personnel arrived and shut off power to the downed wires, Longo said.

He said Patel was then transported by ambulance to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton to be treated for his injuries, which were not considered life-threatening.

Officer Shawn Sudol investigated the crash and charged Patel with driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain a lane, failure to wear a seat belt and having an open contain of alcohol in the vehicle, according to Longo.

PSE&G officials told police that it would take much of the morning to erect a new pole and transfer to it all the wires from the snapped pole, Longo said.

As a result, he said, Bakers Basin Road would be closed between Route 1 and Basin Road through at least the morning commuter rush.

Ironically, the crash occurred in the same area as , closing Bakers Basin Road to traffic for about eight hours.