State Police say ‘some function’ in cab, but ‘significant loss’ in trailer brakes.
By: Cynthia Williamson
LAMBERTVILLE — Police Director Bruce Cocuzza said Monday brake failure may have led to a horrific tractor-trailer accident May 12 when the driver lost control of his rig and crashed through the front of the Lambertville Video store on Route 165.
“We received verbal acknowledgment from the State Police Commercial Carrier Safety Unit that there was some brake failure on the tractor-trailer,” Mr. Cocuzza said. “The brakes had some function in the front cab but they had significant loss in the trailer. To get more specific, we’d need a report.”
Mr. Cocuzza said the driver, Rolando Santiago, 43, of Orange, N.J., told police minutes after the crash that his brakes had failed, which might explain why he failed to slow on his approach to the Bridge Street intersection on Route 179.
An eyewitness has said Mr. Santiago was traveling in the wrong lane, swerved to get back into his lane to avoid a collision with oncoming traffic and lost control of the tractor trailer.
Mr. Cocuzza said he expected his department to wrap its investigation this week or early next week and reach “some type of preliminary conclusion.” Lambertville Police are working jointly with the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office on the crash that killed one woman and injured four others.
“We’ll probably sit down with the prosecutor sometime next week and review everything and make a determination as to what we’re going to do,” Mr. Cocuzza said.
The State Police inspection report also would be an integral part of the accident investigation.
Brakes or no brakes, Lambertville Mayor David Del Vecchio said this week the tractor-trailer exceeded the width ban that restricts 102-inch-wide trucks not making local deliveries from state highways so it didn’t belong on the road in the first place. Route 165 and adjoining Routes 179 and 29 are state roads.
Mr. Del Vecchio said he is moving full speed ahead on resolutions the City Council unanimously adopted three days after the deadly crash, asking state officials to extend the width ban to 96-inch-wide trucks.
The city also has asked state officials to reduce the speed limit on state routes through Lambertville from 45 to 25 miles per hour as well as install a flashing light at the crest of Route 179 to warn motorists of the approaching traffic signal at the Bridge Street intersection.
“Once we went from a quality of life to a life-and-death issue, everything changed,” Mr. Del Vecchio said. “I’m not saying that the situation before was tolerable but now we’re going to push this issue and continue to push this issue.”
Mr. Del Vecchio said he’s been in contact with the state attorney general and state Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Weinstein to reiterate the town’s requests and concerns.
“Believe me, everyone was aware of the situation,” Mr. Del Vecchio said. “My point to both individuals was why not extend the ban and let the trucking industry take the state to court? If the court rules it’s illegal, it’s illegal. If not, then it would already be in place.”
State DOT spokesman John Dougarian said this week the state expects to complete its review of the city’s requests within the next several weeks and make a decision.
“I’m not in a position to speculate as to whether or not the town will get what it asked for,” Mr. Dougarian said. “We’re just going to look at it objectively with the community’s concerns in mind. Obviously, we’d like to accommodate the community, and all of our efforts would be with that goal in mind.”
He said it also is working with the State Police to add more truck ban signs around the state to “ensure that trucks know where they can and cannot go.”
In the meantime, the state Department of Transportation has posted a temporary flashing sign on Route 179 near York Street.
“I hear it’s helped,” Mr. Del Vecchio said. “All I know is that I gave Jim Weinstein a list of what we asked for, and the next day the temporary sign was there. It’s a little gaudy but it sends a clear message and, in this case, that was the purpose.”
The mayor said he plans to meet municipal officials from other towns affected by truck traffic to “talk about how we can maintain this in the public arena.”
“We’re going to keep pushing the issue and keep pushing for the ban until the court says it’s not an option,” he said.
Mr. Cocuzza said police have stepped up enforcement on the state roads in Lambertville, “not specifically on Route 179 but all over.”
“We’ve cited several trucks for speeding and other infractions,” he said.