Detective and victim differ on crash tale
Sunday, July 09, 2006
BY MATTHEW J. DOWLING
Star-Ledger Staff
The damage to Sam Hurling's station wagon, parked in front of his Somerville home, was extensive when a
county-owned car slammed into it on a Sunday night in April. The collision sent the station wagon 174 feet -- more
than half a football field -- down Green Street.
The driver was Ronald Thornburg, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office chief of detectives. According to the
accident report, Thornburg, also a Somerville resident, had swerved to avoid a youngster biking across the road.
Three months later, Hurling said he still wants to know why Thornburg was not tested for alcohol at the scene of the 9
p.m. crash on April 9.
"I wanted an investigation done," said Hurling, who remains without his car. "They didn't give him any sobriety tests
whatsoever. I want to know why the guy didn't get a sobriety check."
Thornburg said he wasn't drinking and was working that night. He said he was driving to meet with a captain in the
prosecutor's office when he struck the parked car. A member of the prosecutor's office picked him up from the
accident scene, he said.
"There's no alcohol involved. It's the first accident I've had in 23 years," Thornburg said Friday.
Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said, "We didn't do the investigation, so I can't comment."
Forrest said Friday the Somerville Police Department conducted the accident investigation and an internal review was
conducted, in accordance with county policies regarding cars issued to employees. The internal review process was
complete, said.
Hurling said he specifically asked one of the Somerville officers who responded to the Sunday night crash to give
Thornburg a Breathalyzer test. The officer responded that he lacked any reason to suspect Thornburg was drinking,
Hurling said.
Hurling said he believes the reasonable suspicion was his smashed-up 1987 Pontiac Safari station wagon, sitting on
the wrong side of the road 174 feet from his house.
"He said he swerved to miss some kids that were riding bikes on the street," said Hurling, who lives across the street
from a park. "That was a baldfaced lie. Nobody was out here."
Thornburg said there was one youngster on a bike in the middle of the street and a second following close behind.
After the accident, the kids took off, he said.
Green Street has a 25 mph speed limit and is wider than most Somerville streets. Hurling said his car was the only one
parked on the street that night.
"The guy hit the car so hard, it rolled all the way down there," said Hurling, pointing toward the parking lot for the
recreational field across the street. "He had to be going awful fast. If he's going 25 miles per hour, you just stop. He
said he had no place to go."
Both cars were towed from the scene. Thornburg's county-issued Chevy Impala had front-end damage that crumpled
the interior dashboard.
Thornburg said Friday he can't explain why the station wagon rolled so far. He said it must have suffered some
mechanical failure from the crash that allowed it to roll away.
"I was doing the speed limit," Thornburg said. "Somehow it rolled. I wasn't speeding."
Hurling's station wagon has remained at a tow lot for three months, and he said he's unable to pay the repair or
storage fees. He can't even remove his painting supplies he uses for work, he said.
"This is my only means of transportation," Hurling said, estimating the accident has cost him thousands of dollars in
lost work. "It's tough. I have to get rides to work. I'm waiting to hear back from them (the insurers); maybe I'll get 400 or
500 dollars."
Hurling said his nephew, who lives two doors down, was outside seconds after hearing the loud bang from the crash
and saw no one in the street who would have caused Thornburg to swerve.
"He saw my car rolling down the street," Hurling said. "There were no kids out here. Then the guy who hit my car took
his shirt off and changed into a PBA shirt to look official."
Thornburg said he didn't change shirts and offered Hurling an apology when he emerged from the house. He said
Hurling seemed calm.
"He didn't get upset," Thornburg said. "I didn't have much conversation with the guy except to apologize. It wasn't his
fault."
But Hurling said Thornburg accused him of leaving the station wagon in neutral as a way of explaining how far the
vehicle traveled after the collision.
"He was arrogant," Hurling said. "He was trying to make it like it was my fault."
Hurling said it is not possible to leave the station wagon in neutral and remove the keys from the ignition. According to
Hurling, the accusation prompted a more heated exchange between the two men and a relative had to pull Hurling
away from Thornburg.
"I just didn't like how the whole thing went down," Hurling said. "They (the police and Thornburg) were talking amongst
each other."
County officials instructed Hurling to fill out an extensive report to seek reimbursement from the collision. He said he
turned that over to his insurance company. Meanwhile, he struggles to find ways to get to work each day.
"I'd like to see him (Thornburg) contact me and maybe help me out for destroying my car" Hurling said. "I'm just a
hardworking guy that has a baby. I want to let him know how much this hurt me."
Matthew J. Dowling covers Somerset County courts. He may be reached at mdowling@starledger.com or (908)
429-9925.
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