Two accidents involving tractor trailers cause 2-mile backups.
By: Joseph Harvie
Two accidents at the intersection of Route 1 and Ridge Road on Dec. 8 sent two people to the hospital and tied up traffic for several hours, police said.
According to police, the two accidents happened one after another, the second being a result of the first, which occurred at 12:50 p.m. when a 1998 Freightliner owned by Mr. Airy Auto Transport of Maryland, was traveling south on Route 1, went through the red light at the Ridge Road intersection and struck a 2001 Lincoln Town Car.
Police said the truck driver, Brian Rogers, 26, of Brunswick, Md., told police that his breaks failed, causing him to run the red light and hit the Lincoln on its driver side door, pushing the vehicle into the divider.
The driver of the car, Joseph Craparotta, 61, of Bristol, Pa., complained of side pain and was taken to the University Medical Center at Princeton, where he was treated and released. The rear passenger of the vehicle, Odeo Den-Joseph, 42, of Massachusetts, told police he had chest pains and was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Both were treated and released, police said.
Police said the second accident happened as vehicles on Route 1 were trying to get around the accident scene.
According to police, a 1999 Toyota Camry driven by Ekta Swarkesh, 27, of Princeton hit a 2000 Peterbuilt tractor-trailer driven by John Dickson, 49, of Whitehaven, Pa., who was traveling in the right lane around the scene where police had directed traffic to go, police said.
Police said the Toyota was trying to use the shoulder to pass the tractor-trailer and clipped the front of it when trying to move ahead, police said. The Camry then spun across the south lanes and hit the divider. There were no injuries in the second incident, police said.
The Kingston Fire Department, South Brunswick EMS and Kendall Park First Aid Squad responded to the accidents. The accidents remain under investigation by the South Brunswick Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau.

