Authorities left West Front Street open despite the presence of a fallen utility pole to maintain roadway access to Riverview Medical Center. Below, the aftermath of a train-versus-van accident at the Monmouth Street grade crossing. (Click to enlarge)
A utility pole and a couple of vehicles appear to have been the only victims of a raging blizzard that swept through Red Bank Sunday night.
Police Captain Darren McConnell said the pole, opposite Riverside Gardens Park, snapped sometime overnight, leaving it leaning heavily on connecting wires and blocking the eastbound lane. Officials from Jersey Central Power & light were unable to say when the pole would be replaced, McConnell said.
Meantime, McConnell said, a determination was made that the pole was safe for vehicles to pass.
“We didn’t want to close the street, because it’s one of the few arteries with access to the hospital,” McConnell said, referring to Riverview Medical Center.
According to the Asbury Park Press, the rail accident happened at about 6:30p Sunday, when a vehicle that apparently became stuck on the North Jersey Coast Line tracks was struck by a southbound train.
The vehicle was unoccupied at the time and there were no injuries.
McConnell says a vehicle overturned on Harding Road near Prospect Avenue in the late afternoon Sunday, but that there were no injuries as a result.
