Summit Woman Charged in Motorcycle Accident

Summit registered its first motorcycle accident of the year this week when a man was injured after being knocked from his Honda at the intersection of Springfield and Woodland Avenues on Wednesday, according to .

The squad also responded to the incident, which occurred just after 1p.m. "The squad tended to a motorcycle driver who was on the ground," said John Christmann, president of the squad. "The patient was wearing a helmet and was alert and conscious," he said. Another first aid responder said the accident looked more serious that it turned out to be, although the motorcyclist Lawrence A. Robinson, 43, of New Providence was taken to the hospital.

"Due to the nature of the incident, squad members secured the patient to a backboard before transporting the patient to Overlook Hospital," said Christmann. Robinson's injuries were considered non-life threatening.

The commotion at the intersection after the accident caused afternoon onlookers to wonder what happened, and some expected the worse. "When I walked by the motorcycle driver along with the motorcycle were in the middle of the road," said one Patch reader who emailed for details on the accident. "I was just walking by with my 3 year old daughter and didn't want to hang around.  It looked pretty bad to me."

According to Summit Police Captain John Dougherty, Summit resident Lori Sher, 48, was attempting to turn left at a stop sign at the intersection of Springfield and Woodland Avenues. Sher's white mini-van stopped and was headed in the direction of Summit Avenue when the vehicle made contact with the back tire of the motorcycle, said Police.

Dougherty said Sher was charged with disregarding a stop sign regulation. She will have to appear in court on the charge. "You have to come to a complete stop, and stay stopped," he said. Motorists who stop at a stop sign must respect right-of-way rules and only can proceed when it's safe to do so, said Dougherty, who specifically handles traffic crimes in Summit.

According to a state website on vehicle safety, over half of all motorcycle crashes occur at intersections, while more than two-thirds happen when drivers don't see the motorcycle.