​1 Killed, 1 Injured After Attempting To Retrieve Potted Plant On Rt. 27 Edison

EDISON, NJ - A crash on Route 27 in Edison claimed the life of one person and left another hospitalized on Wednesday, police said.

Around 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday, a driver had stopped his vehicle in the left lane of Route 27 Northbound to retrieve a potted plant that had fallen from his vehicle and landed in the left lane of Route 27 Southbound.

The driver and his passenger, identified as Edison residents Tuan Phan and Hahn Huynh, exited their vehicle and crossed into the southbound lanes to retrieve the fallen item. They were struck by a vehicle operated by Grygorii Rozhkov of Highland Park, also traveling on Route 27 Southbound, police said.

The impact occurred near the crest of a hill, limiting Rozhkov's visibility of the pedestrians in the roadway, he told police. Despite his attempt to swerve and avoid the collision, he was unable to prevent the crash, police said.

Phan was pronounced dead at the scene, while Huynh was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.

The Edison Police Serious Crash Incident Team conducted a thorough investigation of the accident. Following their investigation, no charges have been filed against Rozhkov.