A fiery two-car crash on Route 1 at Washington Road claimed the life of a front seat passenger and closed down a stretch of Route 1 in both directions for nearly five hours following the early morning crash May 30, according to the West Windsor Police Department.
Police were notified of the crash between a 2011 Honda Accord sedan and a 2023 Kia Sorrento SUV at 4:21 a.m. When officers arrived, they discovered the Honda Accord was embedded in the trees at the rear of the AT&T store parking lot. The car had burst into flames.
The driver of the Honda Accord and two of the four passengers escaped, but two passengers were trapped inside the burning car, police said. Officers freed the two trapped passengers and firefighters put out the fire.
The front seat passenger of the Honda suffered life-threatening injuries and died at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, police said. The remaining passengers and the drivers of the Honda Accord and Kia Sorrento were rushed to Capital Health Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The crash occurred when the driver of the Honda Accord, which was traveling east on Washington Road toward Princeton Junction, attempted to cross Route 1, police said. The sedan was struck by the Kia Sorrento, which was traveling north on Route 1.
The Honda Accord veered off the road, striking a traffic light pole and a street sign on the grass median on Washington Road, police said. It continued into the AT&T store parking lot, where it struck several trees and burst into flames.
The impact spun the northbound Kia Sorrento around. It came to rest on Route 1, facing east, police said.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office’s Serious Collision Response Team responded to help West Windsor police investigate the crash.
Firefighters from the West Windsor Division of Fire & Emergency Services, the Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Co., the West Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. and its fire police unit, and the Princeton Fire Department responded to the crash.
The Plainsboro Rescue Squad, Lawrence Township EMS (emergency medical services), Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, and Trenton EMS were dispatched to the crash. Paramedics from Capital Health also were sent to the scene.
The crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Officer E. McQuade at 609-799-1222 or by email to [email protected], or the police department’s Anonymous Tipline at 609 799-0452.