Rescue workers try to free one of the victims of a fatal car accident on Ridge Road in South Brunswick on Monday.
New Bruns. men are fifth and sixth to die on town’s roads
BY CHARLESW. KIM
Staff Writer
Monday’s heavy rain may have caused a crash that killed two men on Ridge Road in South Brunswick.
"This is just a tragic accident," South Brunswick police Detective Jim Ryan said.
According to police, Nestor Carmona Soriano, 25, and Hernan Luque, 44, both of New Brunswick, died from injuries sustained when their truck crashed into a utility pole near the intersection of Ridge Road and Chris Court.
Soriano’s brother, Benito Carmona, 26, of New Bruns-wick, was also injured in the crash.
Police said the accident took place at approximately 2:40 p.m. on Ridge Road a half mile east of Route 130.
The men were traveling home from work at Burns and Ricker on Nicholas Court in a Toyota 4Runner, police said. As the vehicle headed west on Ridge Road, it lost control on the rain-soaked roadway and crossed over the eastbound lane, struck a "no parking" sign, and then crashed sideways into a utility pole, impacting the passenger side of the vehicle.
Carmona, who police said was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected onto the roadway.
Paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, were passing by seconds after the accident took place and began rescue efforts, according to police.
The front-seat passenger was trapped in the vehicle for 30 minutes. He was extricated by the Monmouth Junction Fire Department.
According to police, both men in the front of the vehicle were wearing seat belts.
The Monmouth Junction and Kendall Park first aid squads transported all three victims to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where Luque and Soriano were later pronounced dead.
Carmona was expected to recover from his injuries, according to Ryan.
Police said the investigation indicates that the heavy rain at the time of the accident contributed to the crash.
Ridge Road was closed for an hour and a half while the accident was investigated. The South Brunswick Traffic Safety Bureau is continuing to investigate the crash.
There have been six people killed in traffic accidents in South Brunswick so far this year, according to police.