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Crews are Still Working to Fix the Traffic Signal and Utility Pole That Were Destroyed in Tuesday's Crash, According to Manchester Police
A traffic signal and a utility pole at the intersection of Route 37 and Colonial Drive, which were seriously damaged when a commercial vehicle rear-ended an SUV and drove off the road Tuesday afternoon, were still being repaired Wednesday, according to police.
Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said the driver of the SUV suffered minor injuries in the incident, which occurred around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday.
The accident, which knocked out power to scores of homes as well as town hall and Manchester Township High School, also caused considerable traffic congestion on Route 37 in both directions, which lasted several hours.
According to Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco, Robert Moyer III, 47, of Barrington, was driving west on Route 37 in a white 2017 Ford F550 commercial truck owned by Sano Drilling Inc., hauling a trailer carrying a John Deere 75G excavator, when he rear-ended a blue 2017 Honda Pilot that was slowing for a red traffic signal at the Colonial Drive intersection.
The Honda spun into the intersection as a result of the collision. According to Manco, the motorist, Elizabeth Hughes, 53, of Jackson, complained of head pain and was assessed at the scene but declined further medical treatment.
After hitting the Honda, the commercial truck then ran off the road onto the shoulder, hitting the traffic signal, an electronic sign board, a traffic sign and a utility pole, causing extensive damage to all of those, Manco said. The impact also caused the trailer to jackknife and hit the truck on the passenger side, he said.
Moyer was not injured; both he and Hughes were wearing their seatbelts, Manco said.
Jersey Central Power & Light and the state Department of Transportation are repairing and replacing the utility pole, traffic signal, and wires that were destroyed in the incident at the crossing.
According to Manco, Manchester Patrolman Michael O'Hara is investigating the accident, but preliminary information indicates that driver inattention was the key contributing cause.
New Jersey State Police, Lakehurst Police, Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services EMTs and firefighters, firefighters from the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, Manchester Township Volunteer Fire Department, and the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, and the Manchester Township Office of Emergency Management all assisted at the scene.
