Utility Worker Killed, 1 Critical In Camden Co. Crash: Prosecutor

MAGNOLIA, NJ — A driver struck four utility workers and then two vehicles, killing one person and putting several in the hospital, authorities said.

The crash happened just before 10 a.m. Wednesday on the 500 block of North White Horse Pike in Magnolia. A driver hit a parking curb, a bush and struck four New Jersey American Water employees in a work zone before continuing into two other vehicles, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office (CCPO).

A male utility worker was pronounced dead at the scene, while another was brought to Cooper University Hospital in critical condition, officials said. The other two workers and all three drivers sustained minor injuries and were taken to Jefferson Stratford Hospital.

The crash investigation remains ongoing, and nobody involved has been publicly identified.

Before the collision, the White Horse Pike's northbound right lane was closed for repair work, the CCPO said. It wasn't immediately clear where the vehicle came from before entering the work zone.

The utility workers were installing a meter pit, a spokesperson for New Jersey American Water told Patch.

"Our focus is on caring for our employees and their impacted families and friends," said spokesperson Denise Venuti Free.

The vehicle then hit two other cars on the roadway — one in the northbound left lane and another in the southbound left lane — the CCPO said.

Officials shut down the White Horse Pike in both directions for several hours during the crash investigation.

The White Horse Pike has been notorious for deadly crashes, which have happened more often over the last few years, officials said. Eight people, including five pedestrians and one bicyclist, died in collisions on the roadway in 2023. Several fatal crashes have been reported on the White Horse Pike this year, including a mid-May incident that killed a woman, authorities said.

Camden County officials and the state attorney general's office launched an initiative in March to improve safety on the White Horse Pike. Since 2010, more than two-thirds of the roadway's crashes have involved inattentive driving or excessive speed, authorities said at the time.

Anyone with information on Wednesday's incident can contact Det. Samuel Funches of the CCPO Crash Response Investigation Team at 856397-4000 and Sgt. James Swan of Magnolia Police Department at 856-784-1884. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.