3 Injured In Car-Pickup Crash On Route 70 In Manchester

MANCHESTER, NJ — Three people were seriously injured Monday afternoon in a crash involving a pickup truck and a car on Route 70 in Manchester, police said.

John McCarter, 65, of Browns Mills, was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune with head and facial injuries, Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said.

Casey McCarter, 30, of Browns Mills, and Donna Gerhardt, 55, of the Whiting section of Manchester, were both taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by ambulance, Manco said.

Casey McCarter suffered extensive injuries including a head injury, Manco said, and Gerhardt suffered a head injury as well.

All three were listed as stable Monday night, he said.

Casey McCarter was driving a black 2002 Toyota Tundra west on Route 70 with John McCarter as his front-seat passenger.

Gerhardt, who was driving a red 2008 Mercury Milan east on Route 70, tried to turn left onto Route 571 going north and turned into the path of the Toyota, which hit her car on the passenger side, Manco said.

The impact pushed the Mercury off the road and into the traffic signal post, he said, and caused the Toyota to spin. It stopped in the intersection facing east, Manco said.

Police found Casey McCarter and John McCarter were not wearing seatbelts, he said.

The preliminary investigation found failure to yield right-of-way appears to be the primary contributing factor, Manco said.

Assisting at the scene were EMTs and firefighters from the Manchester Township Division of Emergency Services, firefighters from Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, Robert Wood Johnson paramedics, and Robert Wood Johnson LifeFlight.

Patrolman Michael O’Hara of the department’s Traffic Safety Section is investigating.