Man Dies as Result of Route 22 Crash

According to police officer Allen Mele of the Bridgewater Police Department, the man injured in a serious motor vehicle accident on Route 22 on July 29 died Thursday due to severe head trauma.

Byung S. Kim, 37, of South Korea, died from severe head trauma he suffered during the accident after he was taken to intensive care at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick on July 29, according Mele.

Mele explained that Kim, who was visiting New Jersey on business, was driving a rented Chevrolet Malibu eastbound on Route 22 when Alexandra Gerraputa, 18, of Massapequa, N.Y., who was driving on Route 22 West, lost control of her 2004 Honda CRV and crossed the grass median. After spinning her car, Gerraputa hit the front of Kim's car with the rear of her own, totaling both vehicles, Mele explained.

According to Mele, Gerraputa is facing charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of narcotics in a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia and careless driving.

Mele also noted that Gerraputa, who wasn't injured in the crash, was not believed to be under the influence of narcotics at the time of the accident, but that drugs were found in her vehicle after the accident.

Mele declined to comment on the cause of the accident and what drugs were found inside Gerraputa's vehicle after the accident.

Gerraputa was arrested and released on her own recognizance, pending a court date, Mele said.