A 56-year-old woman is dead and seven restaurant patrons were injured after a car driven by a 93-year-old motorist slammed into an outdoor dining area at Meg's Grill in Lavallette on Saturday. Police say the elderly driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake while trying to pull into a parking space, sending her 2014 Buick Encore into tables full of diners along Grand Central Avenue.
The crash happened around 11:12 a.m. Saturday at 1401 Grand Central Avenue, also known as Route 35 North, according to News 12 New Jersey. The station reported that the vehicle struck tables set up outside the restaurant. As reported by 6abc Philadelphia, the woman killed was 56 years old, and seven restaurant patrons were injured and taken to the hospital.
Local authorities identified the woman who died as a resident of neighboring Toms River, according to Patch. Toms River sits directly across Barnegat Bay from Lavallette, making the crash a loss felt by a nearby Ocean County community as much as by the shore town where it happened.
Elderly Driver Also Hurt, Restaurant Structure Intact
The driver, a 93-year-old Lavallette resident, sustained minor injuries in the crash, per Shorebeat's report. Police told 6abc she hit the accelerator instead of the brake on her Buick Encore while attempting to park, a pedal-confusion error that investigators say set the collision in motion.
Meg's Grill's owner confirmed that no restaurant employees were physically harmed in the crash and said the establishment would remain closed Sunday and Monday out of respect for the victims, the same Patch report noted. The restaurant's main building structure remained intact despite the impact, according to the outlet.
Multiple Agencies Respond Across Northern Ocean County
The emergency response drew first responders from Lavallette, Seaside Heights, Toms River, Ocean Beach, and Tri-Boro EMS, alongside the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, per Shorebeat.
The crash follows a Hoodline report earlier this month on a head-on Route 539 crash in Lacey that also drew a multi-agency response and prosecutor's squad involvement.
No Age-Based Retesting Under New Jersey Law
New Jersey does not require senior citizens to undergo mandatory driving retests or face special license renewal conditions based solely on age, according to Nolo. The state maintains the same four-year renewal cycle for all motorists regardless of age.
Instead, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission relies on a Medical Review Unit that accepts reports from law enforcement, medical professionals, or family members about potentially unsafe drivers, as detailed by New Jersey 101.5. Drivers referred to the unit must submit medical documentation, though the system depends on someone flagging a driver in the first place rather than automatic screening tied to age.
Pedal Errors Disproportionately Affect Older Drivers
Research cited by Hardy Wolf & Downing found that drivers over 65 and under 20 experience these pedal-confusion crashes about four times more often than other age groups, with most occurring at low speeds during parking or maneuvering.
The Lavallette crash involved an outdoor dining space. A car also struck an outdoor coffee shop patio in Avondale.
