Driver Was Drunk When SUV Flipped, Cops Say

The driver involved in that sent the passenger to the hospital with internal injuries has been charged with driving while intoxicated in the accident, police said.

Shipman Kahanu, 27, of Pennsylvania, was charged with driving while intoxicated and other motor vehicle offenses in the accident that occurred around 12:30 a.m. Friday.

"Additional charges may be forthcoming," Bridgewater Township Police Sgt. Gregory Duane said Monday.

According to police, Kahanu was traveling north on Chimney Rock Road at about 12:40 a.m. when he began to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle then began to yaw, causing it to change the direction in which it was facing, and it headed off the roadway to the right.

From there, police said, the vehicle traveled up a steep incline, which acted as a ramp, and the vehicle overturned onto its driver's side as it reentered the roadway.

The Durango came to rest on its driver's side, police said.

The passenger in the vehicle—Frederick Ames, 26, of Pennsylvania—was not wearing his seatbelt at the time, and he was thrown toward the driver's side of the vehicle when it overturned. During the crash, Ames was partially ejected from the vehicle.

Bound Brook Rescue extricated both Kahanu and Ames from the vehicle, police said.

"I have no further information on their injuries or status," Duane said. "As far as I know, they are both at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital."

Ames was flown by NJ State Police Medevac to be treated for internal injuries, and Kahanu was taken by the Bound Brook Rescue Squad for treatment of his injuries.

Duane said the Somerset County Prosecutors Office Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Team responded to the accident to assist with the investigation.

Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department extricated both the driver and passenger from the vehicle.

At this point, Duane said, there is no new information on the cause of the crash, and the investigation is continuing.