Brooklyn Woman To Be Charged With Careless Driving After Route 9 Accident

A Brooklyn woman will be charged with careless driving after a Thursday night accident that closed a section of Route 9 in Bayville for more than an hour, police said.

Bushra Azam, 44, was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center shortly after the 9:21 p.m. accident with injuries to her lower extremities, police said.

Azam was heading south on Route 9 near the intersection with Bay Boulevard when her 2001 Pontiac van rear-ended a 1990 Accord driven by 20-year-old Connor Bechtle, according to the police report.

Bechtle, Hayes Avenue, Bayville, was attempting to make a left turn onto Bay Boulevard when the collision occurred. He was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River with neck and back pain, police said.

Azam's husband, Mohammed Azam Kahn, 55, was not injured, according to the police report.

Traffic headed south on Route 9 was diverted onto Bay Boulevard through the parking lot at Little John's Deli. Northbound traffic was being detoured onto Butler and diverted through back roads to Bay, before vehicles returned to Route 9 through the parking lot.

The Bayville Volunteer Fire Company and the Bayville First Aid Squad also responded to the crash.

The accident is under investigation by Patrolman Michael O'Connor.