New Jersey Farmers Market Crash Kills 1, Injures 2

A New Jersey pedestrian accident at a Hawthorne farmers market left one woman dead and two people injured on Aug. 10. The car crash occurred around 2:15 p.m. when the driver of a pickup truck drove through a police barricade demarcating the boundaries of the farmers market and crashed into a tomato vendor’s stall.

One woman became trapped underneath the truck, which continued driving and dragged her for several blocks. One witness said she could hear the woman’s screams for help as the truck drove down the street and that bystanders shouted for the driver to stop. The 58-year-old victim died while she was underneath the vehicle. Two people shopping at the market suffered minor injuries. They were taken to a hospital for treatment and were expected to recover.

Police caught up to the truck and arrested the driver, a 48-year-old man. They charged him with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. A conviction could result in a 10-year prison sentence. He was held on $200,000 bail. An investigation into whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident was still underway at the time of reports.

Hit-and-run victims’ families may struggle with grief and the feeling that their loved ones could have survived had the at-fault driver stopped to help instead of fleeing the scene of the accident, prompting them to consider filing wrongful death suits. Personal injury attorneys may be helpful in advising victims’ families of their eligibility to file suit and what damages they may seek from hit-and-run drivers, such as compensation for funeral costs and loss of companionship.

Source: Pix11, ‘1 dead after pickup truck plows through NJ farmers market,” Alyssa Zauderer, Aug. 10, 2014

Source: Pix11, “Driver arrested after deadly farmers market crash in New Jersey“, Samantha Tata, August 11, 2014

Source: Pix11, “Driver arrested after deadly farmers market crash in New Jersey“, Samantha Tata, August 11, 2014