New Jersey man charged with death by auto after fiery crash

Police in New Jersey say that a 22-year-old man was driving with a suspended license when he caused a chain-reaction crash that claimed three lives in the early morning hours of July 11. The man was taken into custody following the crash, and he is facing several charges including driving while intoxicated and three counts of death by auto. The accident took place on Interstate 80 in Morris County at approximately 1:30 a.m.

According to a state police report, the Mountain Lakes resident was proceeding on Interstate 80 near Rockaway Township when his SUV struck the rear of a stopped car. The force of the impact propelled the car into an SUV that had also been stopped by traffic. Emergency response personnel arriving at the motor vehicle collision scene discovered the SUV overturned on a grass embankment and the car engulfed in flames.

The vehicle blaze had been extinguished by about 4:00 a.m., and the car’s three occupants were pronounced dead at the scene. The names of the two adults and child were not immediately disclosed by authorities. The two occupants of the SUV were transported by paramedics to an area medical facility. They are both expected to recover from their injuries. The driver responsible suffered minor injuries in the crash, and he was treated at a nearby hospital and then released.

While the cause of this accident may still be under investigation, collisions of this kind often occur when drivers are distracted, impaired or fatigued. Drivers who behave negligently may face civil sanctions, and a personal injury attorney could file a lawsuit against them on behalf of those injured in an auto accident or the families of those who are killed.

Source: 6 ABC, “MAN CHARGED IN NEW JERSEY CRASH ON I-80 THAT KILLED 2 ADULTS, BABY”, Associated Press, July 11, 2015