Cops: Hopatcong Woman Drove Drunk, Flipped SUV

A Hopatcong woman, driving drunk, crashed her SUV against a guardrail, causing it to flip onto its driver's side, police said.

Catherine LoBue, 47, was charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.

Police said they responded to a car accident on Maxim Drive on Sunday at 12:44 a.m. When an officer arrived, two men were standing outside the overturned car and LoBue was sitting in the driver's seat, police said.

The ambulance squad, fire department and a wrecker were called to the scene, police said. LoBue said she was uninjured, police said. An officer climbed the SUV, opened the passenger side door and helped pull LoBue out, police said.

LoBue told police she was en route to a diner when a deer ran out in front of her vehicle, causing her to swerve and smash the guardrail, police said. Police said LoBue failed a field sobriety test before the ambulance squad placed a neckbrace on her, put her on a backboard, placed her into an ambulance and transported her to St. Clare's Hospital in Dover.

While in the ambulance, LoBue told ambulance squad members she had two glasses of wine two hours earlier, police said.

Police said it appeared LoBue was driving north on Maxim Drive and, when she swerved, her car rode the guardrail for about 20 feet before rolling over.

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