23-year-old Hamilton resident dies after Route 1 crash Saturday
A 23-year-old resident of Hamilton died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash that tool place on Route 1 South in the early morning Saturday, June 26.
The names of the victim and the other people involved in the crash are not being released yet, police said.
At about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to Route 1 South about a quarter mile north of Carnegie Center Boulevard. When they arrived on the scene, they found a black VW Passat and a black Chevrolet Cruze in the roadway, both with heavy damage and injuries to the occupants. The front seat passenger of the VW Passat was entrapped in the car.
An investigation revealed that the driver of the VW Passat, a 24-year-old Hamilton resident, was traveling south on Route 1 approaching Carnegie Center Boulevard, and drove off the roadway to the right, striking a utility pole, then a road sign, then a second utility pole, before spinning back into the roadway and landing in the center lane. The passenger side of the VW Passat was exposed to oncoming traffic. The driver of the Chevrolet Cruz was traveling south on Route 1 in the center lane, approaching Carnegie Center Boulevard, and then struck the front passenger side of the VW Passat.
After the front seat passenger of the VW Passat was extricated from the vehicle, he was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he was in critical condition. He later died as a result of his injuries.
The driver of the VW Passat and the two other passengers of the car — a 24-year-old resident of Trenton and a 26-year-old resident of Trenton — were also transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet Cruze, a 50-year-old resident of Willingboro, had minor injuries and was transported to the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.
U.S. Route 1 South between Alexander Road and Carnegie Center Boulevard was closed for about four hours.
This crash remains under investigation. No charges have been issued yet. If anyone has any additional information about the crash, please contact West Windsor Traffic Officer LaRoccca at LaRocca@westwindsorpolice.com, Traffic Sgt. Bal at Bal@westwindsorpolice.com, or call (609) 799-1222.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.