Township man airlifted from Lakewood accident

A 67-year-old township man had to be extricated from his vehicle and flown to the hospital after a two-car collision on Pine Street early this morning.Esteban Vega was taken via helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of lower back and leg injuries suffered in the crash at 7:12 a.m., said Patrolman Ray Przewoznik.Vega was eastbound on Pine Street, about 900 feet west of Albert Avenue, in his 1988 Lincoln Mark VII when another vehicle headed in the opposite direction crossed over a double-yellow line and caused a near head-on collision, Przewoznik said.Vega remained conscious and alert as members of the Lakewood First Aid squad removed the roof of his car, Przewoznik said."It took them well over an hour to get him out. The whole driver's compartment area was encapsulated around his body,'' Przewoznik said.The driver of the other car complained of leg pain as a result of the crash but declined treatment, police said. He was issued a summons for careless driving.Pine Street was shut down until almost 10 a.m. between Albert Avenue and the Avenue of the States while emergency crews and investigators worked the scene. Traffic flow has returned to normal, police said.Przewoznik was assisted at the scene by Sgt. Frank Work and the Criminalistics Investigations Unit of the Ocean County Sheriffs Department. Members of the Lakewood Fire Department and MONOC paramedics also responded.

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