JACKSON — One of four people injured in a two-vehicle crash on May 23 remained hospitalized earlier this week, according to police.
Jackson police Sgt. John Kovak said Wednesday that Christine Simon, 17, of Jackson, had been moved out of intensive care, but still remained hospitalized at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune.
Simon, who was driving east on East Veterans Highway in a 1990 Mitsubishi Gallant with two passengers in the vehicle, collided with a fully loaded dump truck being driven by Ray Childress, 60, of Wrightstown.
The crash, which occurred at about 3:20 p.m., sent four people to the hospital.
Simon and one of her passengers, age 16, were sent to the hospital in critical condition with injuries to their legs. The second passenger, also 16, suffered injuries to her legs which were considered less severe.
Police would not release the names of the minors, but did say that Simon is the daughter of a Jackson police officer.
Childress suffered injuries to his chest and face, Kovak said, adding that Childress and Simon were both airlifted to Jersey Shore Medical Center. The passengers in Simon’s vehicle were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
It took volunteer firefighters more than two hours to remove all four people from the two vehicles. The accident caused the road to be closed for more than four hours.
As of Wednesday all of the victims except Simon had been released from the hospital. According to Kovak, Simon sustained multiple injuries, but appeared to be improving.
A spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said he did not expect that any criminal charges would be filed.
— Cindy Tietjen