Manchester Crash Hospitalizes Barnegat Couple

A Barnegat husband and wife are recovering in the aftermath of a hair-raising crash in Manchester this morning.

Daniel Lynch, 74, and Charlene Hoverter, 68, were pulled from the wreckage of their 2012 Honda Accord by Whiting volunteer firefighters who rused them to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, according to township police.

They were northbound on Route 539 at about 9:11 AM when the car sailed off the highway just north of Lincoln Boulevard, smashing into several trees before coming to rest on its roof, police said.

Investigators are trying to determine the cause.

Husband and wife were strapped in by seat belts, triggering air bags on impact, police said. They were hospitalized for back, chest and wrist pain. Lynch was flown by New Jersey State Police helicopter and his wife was driven by Whiting first-aiders. Quality Medical Transport and MONOC paramedics assisted.

Manchester Patrolman Douglas Higgins leads the investigation with help from the township's Police Patrol Division, Office of Emergency Management, and Whiting volunteer first aiders and firefighters.