NEW JERSEY — A girl is fighting for her life after a driver with a suspended license ran a red light and crashed into a vehicle in Toms River, New Jersey, police said.
Isabella Corbin, 4, of Brick Township, and her older siblings were home from school on Thursday afternoon. Her father was driving at the intersection of Route 70 and Massachusetts Avenue when his vehicle was hit by a pickup truck, investigators said. The van then overturned and caught fire.
Isabelle was seriously injured in the accident. She was taken to hospital where she remains unconscious and on a ventilator. His brothers and his father were not seriously injured.
The driver of the van, Charles Sharkey Jr., 33, of Jackson Township, had two active warrants for his arrest, had a suspended driver’s license and did not have a license to drive the van, which was a rental van, investigators said. . He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, car assault and other related crimes.
Investigators said Sharkey was driving erratically, using a cellphone and running a red light just before the crash. the video of dash cam The Lakewood Scoop shows a pickup truck passing several other vehicles. While officials say the vehicle in the video resembles Sharkey’s vehicle, they could not confirm it was the same truck.
Sharkey remains in jail and is due in court on Wednesday.
“They call it an accident,” Isabella’s grandfather, Tom Morris, told NBC10. “To me, this is a criminal act.”
As Isabella’s loved ones continue to pray for her recovery, they are also asking for justice.
“I think it’s absolutely disgusting,” Gabby Koehler, Isabella’s aunt and godmother, told NBC10. “He has no respect for human life. For our daughter. He hurt her a lot and I hope he will pay badly for it.”
Relatives describe Isabella as a girl who loves to sing and dance.
“The best girl,” Koehler said. “She is truly an angel to us.”
So far, a GoFundMe for Isabella’s recovery has raised over $50,000.
“We’re grateful. I can’t believe how much support we’re getting,” Koehler said. “She’s just going to keep fighting and that’s our miracle. We know she’ll be okay.”