Police ID Bicycle Accident Victim; Still Seeking Clues to Tues. a.m. mishap

Township police have identified as a Bernardsville woman the bicyclist discovered injured on the sidewalk along West Oak Street on Tuesday morning, but continue to seek witnesses who might be able to describe how the accident occurred. 

Laura Lema, 34, of Bernards Avenue in Bernardsville, remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Police Lt. Ted Reese said early Wednesday afternoon. Police remained uncertain at that time whether Lema, discovered at 8:16 a.m. on Tuesday, had been struck by a vehicle which then left the scene, he said.

On Wednesday morning, police erected an electronic message board by the accident site on West Oak Street near Mt. Airy Road asking potential witnesses to call the township police department at 908-766-1122, Reese said. Police also on Wednesday between about 8 to 8:30 a.m. handed out flyers asking for public input.

Police said they responded to a report of an injured cyclist Tuesday morning and found the then-unidentified woman on the sidewalk. She had a red mountain bike at her side, at the base of a telephone pole on the south side of West Oak Street, police said. The woman was semi-conscious, and spoke very little English, police said.

The woman suffered significant head and facial injuries, and was transported to Morristown Memorial Hospital, police said. Despite a language barrier, she was able to indicate at the hospital that she had struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle, according to police.

Reese said the woman was in an altered state of consciousness when she described the accident, and police remained unsure whether she had been struck by a vehicle. Because of her injuries, Reese said on Wednesday that police might not be able to interview Lema for a few more days.

Police said Lema was wearing a black T-shirt, black spandex pants and carrying a yellow purse. Anyone with information is asked to contact Township Police Detective Tim King at 908-766-1122.