1 man dead, 1 clings to life after car slams into utlilty pole

Sunday, November 04, 2007
BY JAKE REMALY AND JEFF TRENTLY

HAMILTON -- A Hamilton man was killed and officials said another was in critical condition last night after their car slammed into a utility pole on Route 156 Fri day night. Two other passengers were injured in the crash.

James Vandewater IV, 21, a stu dent at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I., died yesterday from injuries in the crash, police said.

His childhood friend, Nicholas Costa, 21, a Rider University student, was in critical condition with a head injury from the crash, police said last night. There were conflicting reports early yesterday that Costa had died from his injuries.

The two other passengers -- Francis Ippolito III, 21, of Hillsborough, and Craig Brauer, 21, of Ewing -- were injured in the crash but were home yesterday.

"I feel like I'm in a nightmare and I just wish I would wake up,"James Vandewater's aunt, JoAnn Phillips, said yesterday. "He was such a good kid and he turned into a wonderful young man."

"He's always been really independent. Always did things on his own," James Vandewater's mother, Victoria, said yesterday afternoon.

Vandewater was driving south on Route 130 when he turned onto Route 156 and lost control of his car about 11:20 p.m., Friday, police said.

Police did not say what caused Vandewater to lose control.

"Every parent dreads a call in the night," said Anne Ippolito whose son Francis was riding in the back seat on the passenger's side. "We had no idea how serious this accident was."

Ippolito, a Rider University student, suffered a neck injury while Brauer, a student at The College of New Jersey who was in the car's front passenger seat, suffered a knee injury, police said.