Little Silver Woman Dragged by Her Own Car after Accident

79-year-old Little Silver resident Nora Archibald was injured on Tuesday during a bizarre sequence of events. Archibald was involved in a minor car accident. When she got out to inspect the damage, she became caught in her seatbelt. The car kept moving and dragged her along the road before finally dropping her and striking a tree.

Nora Archibald was driving her Volvo station wagon through heavy snow on Seven Bridges Road in Little Silver at the time of the crash. She was headed northbound near the intersection with Rumson Road. At about 10:45am, her station wagon struck the back of another car. The car was being driven by Edward Devine, a 45-year-old resident of Little Silver.

Archibald attempted to exit her vehicle to survey the damage from the accident. Instead, she got caught in her seatbelt. The vehicle kept moving without her. She was dragged alongside the vehicle until she became free from the seatbelt and dropped into the road.

The car kept going after Archibald came free. It went over a curb and into a yard where it came to rest against a tree.

Nora Archibald was taken to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch to be treated for her injuries. The hospital has not released information about her condition. The other driver, Edward Devine, was uninjured in the crash.

Police have not yet determined what caused the original crash or why the vehicle kept moving after the driver exited. The heavy snow may have been a factor in the collision.

“People need to understand that after an auto accident they may still be in harm’s way and that they need to protect themselves and others from further injury within the accident scene,” warns New Jersey car accident lawyer Garry R. Salomon “

The most likely reason for a car to continue moving after the driver exits is that the car was not shifted into “park” correctly. Garry Salomon also says that “in some cases, a manufacturing or design defect can cause a car to operate erratically.”

Adam Lederman, the author of this article, and a graduate of Rutgers Law and NYU, is a Senior Associate at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon P.C., Lederman represents people involved in all types of accident victims throughout NJ and NY. He has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Law and Politics Magazine, as part of its annual SuperLawyers issue. He can be reached for a free initial consultation about injuries sustained in all type of accidents including car accidents by calling 1-(800) LAW-2000.