PARSIPPANY — Mr. Michael Hallacy, 18, Tenafly, was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta on New Road when he may have fell asleep and ran off the roadway (to the right), and struck a curb. This accident occurred on Monday, August 1 at 11:44 p.m.
After traveling over the curb the vehicle continued across a grass lawn and began to yaw left. Once across the grass lawn, it crossed the asphalt driveway of 229 New Road, before it struck an aluminum fence. The vehicle had gone through the fence, struck a tree with the front driver’s side portion of the vehicle.
This collision separated the driver’s front wheel and suspension assembly from the vehicle and acted as a pivot point to spin the vehicle further. As the spun in a counter-clockwise direction, it then struck another tree with the right rear wheel. The vehicle then vaulted off four feet retaining wall, traveling another 20 feet into a wooded area.
The vehicle came to a final rest in the woods, facing the opposite direction in which it was traveling.
Hallacy was conscious and alert upon arrival and suffered from multiple facial lacerations as well as a visibly fractured lower right leg/ankle. The windshield on the driver’s side was impacted from the inside and broken outwards. The driver’s seatbelt was fully retracted.
Open containers of alcohol were discovered inside the vehicle, but Hallacy did not display signs of impairment, due to alcohol or narcotics.
Hallacy stated that he did not recall what happened, but he awoke to the vehicle crashing. Officer Daniel Ross determined that Hallacy may have fallen asleep while traveling down the roadway and this was the primary cause of the crash.
Hallacy was transported to Morristown Medical Center by Rockaway Neck Volunteer Ambulance.
Hallacy was charged with 39:4-88, Failure to Observe Traffic Lanes, and 39:4-51B, Possession of open, unsealed alcoholic beverage containers.
Damage on the property of 229 New Road consisted of a cobble curb, grass lawn, Black Aluminum fence, Tree on the property, and wooden retaining wall.
Mr. Hallacy’s vehicle was towed from the scene by Ajaco Towing.
