2 killed in Route 22 crash in Branchburg

Serious accident on Rt 22 West and Rt 28 in Branchburg.8/19/15 (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Submitted by New Jersey Truck Accident Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark.

BRANCHBURG — Two passengers were killed in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 22 and Route 28 Wednesday morning.

Herminia Santos, 76, of Somerville, and Apolonia Viri, 62, of Raritan were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, Branchburg police Capt. Bill Haldeman said. Neither passenger was wearing a seat belt, he said.

Herminia Santos was the front-seat passenger and Viri was the rear-seat passenger in a 2004 Ford Explorer driven by Renito Santos, 75, of Somerville, Haldeman said.

The crash occurred at about 6:26 a.m. when the westbound Ford Explorer struck a white box truck that was turning left from Route 22 east onto Route 28, the police captain said. The vehicles collided head-on while the box truck was passing through the westbound side of Route 22, he said.

The driver of the box truck—Jorge Gonzalez, 57, of North Plainfield—was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in Somerset, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, Haldeman said.

Renito Santos was transported by medical helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick with serious injuries, he said.

No charges have been filed at this time, and the crash remains under investigation, Haldeman said.

The crash closed the highway for several hours Wednesday morning, but all lanes reopened shortly before noon.

Anyone with more information can contact the Branchburg Police Department’s traffic division at 908-526-3830, ext. 410.

Originally published here by nj.com.