CHESTERFIELD: UPDATED REPORT: Man dies in Turnpike crash; father, son hurt

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP — One man died after a late night multi-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike in which a father and son also were injured.
   The father remained in intensive care as of press time Tuesday — nearly two weeks after the Aug. 9 crash.
   New Jersey State Police were called to mile marker 54.9 in the northbound lane in Chesterfield Township at approximately 11:30 p.m. Aug. 9 to a scene of three vehicles involved in a motor accident that included a box truck, a Honda SUV and a tractor-trailer where police found four people injured, according to Acting Sgt. Adam Grossman of the Office of Public Information for the state police on Monday.
   The deceased, a 66-year-old man, Paramjit Singh, of Avenel, was the driver of a box truck, police said, which crashed into the rear of the SUV, driven by Rohan Bright, 41, of Union. Additionally, his son, Steven Bright, was a passenger in the SUV.
   Police did not disclose Steven Bright’s age with the Register-News.
   The force of the impact of the box truck hitting Mr. Bright’s vehicle sent the SUV across three lanes of highway before it came to a stop in the left shoulder, police said.
   The box truck then continued forward and crashed into a Volvo tractor-trailer, driven by an Ohio man, Curtis Thompson, before it finally came to a stop in the center lane, according to police.
   ”(The) northbound roadway was closed for approximately four hours,” said Acting Sgt. Grossman.
   Mr. Singh, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, according to Acting Sgt. Grossman, was partially ejected from his vehicle.
   He was transported to Capital Health Helene Fuld Hospital in Trenton where he soon was pronounced dead, by Dr. Dominick Eboli, Acting Sgt. Grossman said.
   Mr. Bright and his son were flown by helicopter to Cooper Hospital in Camden, according to police. Mr. Thompson was transported to RWJ-Hamilton by ambulance.
   As of press time, Mr. Bright remained a patient in the trauma intensive care unit, according to a Cooper University Hospital official, who spoke to the Register-News on Aug. 21.
   Further, there was no Steven Bright on record as being in the hospital, the official said.
   Despite multiple requests, the Register-News was unable to learn from state police if Mr. Bright’s son had suffered serious injuries in the crash as of press time.
   ”Both (father and son) were flown by Southstar, which tells me that one was a serious injury but there are no specifics on (the report),” said Lt. Steven Jones on Tuesday.
   The accident remained an ongoing investigation as of press time.