A young 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 brothers were on their way home from school Thursday afternoon. Their father was driving at the intersection of Route 70 and Massachusetts Avenue when their vehicle was struck by a pickup truck, according to investigators. The pickup truck then flipped over and caught fire.
Isabella was critically injured in the crash. She was taken to the hospital where she remains unconscious and on a ventilator. Her brothers and father were not seriously hurt.
The driver of the pickup truck, 33-year-old Charles Sharkey Jr. of Jackson Township, had two active warrants out for his arrest, had a suspended driver’s license and did not have permission to drive the pickup truck, which was a rental, investigators said. He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, assault by auto and other related offenses.
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Investigators said Sharkey was driving erratically, was using a cellphone and ran a red light just before the crash. Dashcam video from the Lakewood Scoop shows a pickup truck passing several other vehicles. While officials say the vehicle in the video looks similar to Sharkey’s vehicle, they could not confirm it was the same pickup truck.
Sharkey remains in jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
“They call it an accident,” Isabella's grandfather, Tom Morris, told NBC10. “To me, it’s a criminal act.”
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As Isabella’s loved ones continue to pray for her recovery, they are also demanding justice.
“I think that it’s absolutely disgusting,” Gabby Koehler, Isabella’s aunt and godmother, told NBC10. “He has no regard for human life. For our girl. He hurt her very badly and I hope he severely pays for that.”
Loved ones describe Isabella as a sassy little girl who loves to sing and dance.
“The best little girl,” Koehler said. “She really is an angel to us.”
So far a GoFundMe for Isabella’s recovery has raised more than $50,000.
“We’re so thankful. Can’t believe how much support we’re getting,” Koehler said. “She’s just going to continue fighting and she’s our miracle. We know that she’s going to be OK.”
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