Accident kills man during vehicle stop

A Hamilton man was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer on Saturday morning.

By: William Wichert
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — After being pulled over for suspected drunken driving early Saturday morning, a Hamilton Township man was instantly killed in a hit-and-run accident by a tractor-trailer driver who had also been drinking alcohol that night, police said.
   The truck driver, Shane Gildersleeve, 40, of Valatie, N.Y. may face criminal charges in the death of William F. Grieb, 34, of Aspen Court in Hamilton during the accident that occurred at 2:09 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, along Route 130 North near Farnsworth Avenue, officials in the Burlington County prosecutor’s office said.
   "Criminal charges will be withheld pending the state police’s toxicology lab results," said First Assistant Prosecutor Ray Milavsky, who said Mr. Gildersleeve already faces several traffic charges, including leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident.
   Depending on his blood alcohol content (BAC) from Saturday, which will be available within the next 60 days, Mr. Gildersleeve could be charged with vehicular homicide, Mr. Milavsky said on Monday. The tractor-trailer driver was released from the Burlington County jail in Mount Holly this week after posting $10,000 bail, Mr. Milavsky said.
   The events leading up to the fatal accident began when Patrolman Anthony Biddle stopped Mr. Grieb’s 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier because he suspected that the Hamilton Township man was drunk, according to the prosecutor’s office.
   The patrolman was conducting a sobriety test on Mr. Grieb between the police vehicle and Mr. Grieb’s car, when Mr. Gildersleeve, driving northbound on Route 130, rammed the tractor-trailer into the back of the police vehicle, forcing it into the other car, the prosecutor’s office said.
   Mr.Patrolman Biddle was able to avoid being hit while trying to save Mr. Grieb, but the collision instantly killed the Hamilton Township man, according to the prosecutor’s office.
   Mr. Gildersleeve fled the scenedrove away and continued heading north on Route 130 until Bordentown City Officer Shawn Lafferty stopped the tractor-trailer about a half-mile down the road, the prosecutor’s office said. After Mr. Gildersleeve was arrested, the police found open alcoholic beverages inside the cab of the truck, officials said.
   In addition to leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident, Mr. Gildersleeve has also been charged with failure to report an accident, failure to maintain a lane, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and displaying unclear tags on a motor vehicle, the prosecutor’s office said.
   He is also charged with possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle, officials said.