Another Crash At Hotspot In West Orange; Car Smashes Into Wall

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Another car crash recently took place on a section of road in West Orange that has seen repeated complaints from residents.

The latest collision took place around 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 24 on the 200-block of Mount Pleasant Avenue near Jones Place, according to a crash report from the West Orange Police Department obtained via an OPRA request.

Here’s what happened, the police report states:

“[The driver] stated she was traveling east on Mount Pleasant Avenue, when she was attempting to follow the right curve in the road, when she was unable to do so, which caused her vehicle to cross the center line, run off the road left and strike a guard rail and concrete wall. After crashing into the concrete wall which was located in front of 237 Mount Pleasant Avenue, [the vehicle] overturned and came to rest in the westbound lane of Mount Pleasant Avenue.”

The driver complained of a “moderate injury,” but refused medical treatment at the scene, according to the police report. She was charged with reckless driving.

A photo of the crash site shared with Patch shows a severely damaged wall and a displaced chevron street sign, which was knocked into the backyard of a home nearby by the impact (see above).

It isn’t the first time a serious car crash has taken place in the area.

A total of 19 crashes were reported in the span of 40 months on the half-mile stretch of Mount Pleasant Avenue between Prospect Avenue and Byrne Road, an analysis of crash reports showed last year. Luckily, there were no fatalities. But injuries were reported in nine of the crashes, as well as multiple instances of property damage.

A spokesperson for Essex County, which maintains that portion of Mount Pleasant Avenue, previously noted that the county has reduced the speed limit from 40 mph to 25 mph. Over the past several years, other steps have been taken to make the area safer, he said, adding that an analysis of the crashes concludes that the accidents “are not attributable to the geometry of the road, but rather to the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accidents.”

Other residents have disputed that conclusion, and have asked local officials to take further action to make the roadway safer.

• See Related: The Danger Zone: West Orange Road Is A Crash Magnet, Records Show

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