1 Dead, 5 Hurt in New Jersey Auto Accident

A multi-vehicle crash on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge shut down the bridge for over seven hours. New Jersey police confirmed that one person died in the auto accident and five others were injured. So far, no charges have been filed, but police are asking the support of the community in further investigating the accident.

According to the limited information in the report, it appears two cars were headed westbound toward Philadelphia when the accident occurred. Both vehicles appeared to be speeding when one car clipped the other, sending it into the eastbound lanes. This caused a head-on collision with an eastbound vehicle, and apparently two other vehicles were also struck.

The driver of the eastbound car, a 35-year-old man, was killed on impact. Five other people from several vehicles were transported to local hospitals with varied injuries, none of which appear to have been life-threatening. Police reopened the bridge around 2:40 a.m. after a seven-hour investigation. They have asked anyone with information about the crash to reach out to Burlington County Central Communications.

Depending on the outcome of the New Jersey police investigation, one or more drivers could be considered materially responsible for this auto accident. Those individuals may face criminal charges for their role in the deadly crash. Even if no criminal charges are filed, state law allows injured parties and the family of the deceased to file personal injury and/or wrongful death suits in civil court against any driver who contributed to the crash. Evidence of this contribution must be provided to the court but can be sourced from the police investigation.