1 person killed in overturned tractor trailer on NJ Turnpike

ROBBINSVILLE — State Police said one person was killed after a tractor-trailer overturned on the northbound New Jersey Turnpike early Thursday morning.

The truck flipped over after drifting into the left shoulder, hitting the left guardrail and striking a concrete bridge support around 3:45 a.m. north of Exit 7A for Route 195. Pictures by MidJersey.news which was first to report the crash show a debris field that included boxes.

The driver of the truck, Franklin S. Parker, 36, of Eden, MD, died in the crash.

Lanes were blocked in both the inner and outer lanes for the clean-up and investigation of the crash causing traffic to back up at least 4 miles.

Debris from an overturned tractor trailer on the northbound NJ Turnpike 4/21/22 (Steven Kadir, MidJersey.news)

Third fatality on the Turnpike this week

This was the third fatal accident on the Turnpike this week.

On Monday night, Jeanne M. Wurth, 53, of Pittsgrove, was killed when she was struck by a tractor-trailer as she stood in the left shoulder next to her disabled vehicle just north of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The driver swerved to the left to avoid hitting the vehicle in the left lane.

According to a GoFundMe page created to help with the family's expenses, she and her husband Jerry Wurth are parents to two daughters age 12 and 14.

Jeanne Wurth (Alicia Temkin via GoFundMe)

"Jeanne filled this world and everyone she came in contact with a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh. Her love for family and friends were evident to all ... Please hug your loved ones and tell them you love them for life at times is a fleeting moment."

Several hours later, at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Ford F150 pickup truck was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer pulling a flatbed as they entered the southbound Exit 1 toll plaza. The truck overturned, spilling its load of lumber, which blocked six toll lanes for most of the morning commute.

The passenger in the truck, Kastarra Sha Quinta Lawrence, 23 of Augusta, Georgia, died from injuries.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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The franchise was born in 1967, under the name the New Jersey Americans. They played their games in Teaneck as part of the American Basketball Association. One year later they moved to Long Island, becoming the New York Nets.

It was there the team won two ABA championships in 1973-74 and 1975-76. The very next year the Nets, along with three other basketball franchises, were absorbed into the NBA as part of a merger deal, abolishing the ABA.

When the Nets first moved to New Jersey, they played their home games at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway. Then in 1981, they moved into the home many of us remember them in the most, the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford (later named the Continental Airlines Arena, then Izod center).

After years of losing, The Nets made it to two straight NBA Finals in 2001-02 and 2002-03. In 2002-03, the final time they sniffed the championship, the team lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

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Filed Under: Mercer County, NJ Turnpike, Robbinsville

Categories: Commuter News, New Jersey News