Bridgewater woman charged with DWI in Somerville crash

SOMERVILLE – A Bridgewater woman was issued several summonses, including driving while intoxicated, after her Jeep Wrangler crashed into another car in Somerville on Thursday night, said Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano.

He said that at approximately 6:53 p.m., the Somerville Police Department responded to a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Grove and East Cliff streets. The investigation conducted by the Somerville police and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office C.A.R. (Collision Analysis Reconstruction) Team showed that a Chrysler Voyager minivan driven by Thomas Pollard, 70, of Somerville, was traveling southbound on Grove Street with a front-seat 84 year-old female passenger.

Their vehicle was struck by Cheryl A. Nowalsky, 38, of Finderne Avenue in Bridgewater. Nowalsky was traveling eastbound on East Cliff Street when she disregarded the posted stop sign and struck the passenger side of Pollard's vehicle, Soriano said.

Pollard and his passenger were removed from the vehicle and transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where they underwent emergency surgery for their injuries.

Nowalsky was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, where she was treated for leg injuries.

The Somerville Police Department issued motor vehicle summonses to Nowalsky for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to stop or yield at a stop sign, and two counts of open container of an alcoholic beverage.

Somerville Mayor Brian Gallagher said he is looking into ways to improve safety at the intersection.

"I've asked my police chief to run a report on how many accidents we've had there over the last three to five years," he said. "And I have asked the borough engineer to do a quick assessment on how to improve the safety of the intersection.

Gallagher mentioned rumble strips as a way to potentially slow traffic.

"We have to work with the county to see if there is a need for a traffic light there," Gallagher said. "Given the nature of the accident, there may have been a contributing factor."

Staff Writer Everett Merrill: 908-243-6606; emerrill@mycentraljersey.com