Two elderly woman killed in Route 37 crash with pickup truck

TOMS RIVER — Two elderly women were killed when their car overturned after pulling out of a hospital parking lot.

Doris Turlish, 85, of New Gretna hit the curb divider between the entrance and exit lanes at Community Medical Center as she accelerated her Mercury Milan, which caused her to enter Route 37 eastbound at an angle and hit the center jersey barrier around 12 noon, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Toms River Police.

The sedan was then hit in the driver's side by a Ford F250 driven by William Minter, 42, of Lanoka Harbor. Minter was the only person in the pickup and climbed out of truck via the windshield.

Turlish was pronounced dead at the scene. Oassenger Marjorie Santamaria, 86, of Toms River, was transported to Community Medical Center and subsequently pronounced dead at 1:16 pm. Passengers Maryann Turlish, 87, of New Gretna and Maria Santamaria, 52, of Toms River were both transported to the hospital and are listed in critical condition.

The prosecutor's office said it did not know the relationships between the woman in Doris Turlish's vehicle.

The crash closed Route 37 eastbound for several hours for the cleanup and investigation.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ