Crime & Safety
Overweight Cement Truck Careens Down Mountain Slams Into Liquor Store On Rt. 22
Before slamming into the liquor store, the truck crashed into a car at the Washington Avenue intersection. Both drivers were hospitalized.
GREEN BROOK, NJ — An overweight and loaded cement truck careened down Washington Avenue before crashing into a car and then slamming into a liquor store in Green Brook causing delays on Route 22 on Thursday.
The crash happened on Thursday at 6:45 a.m. The truck was driving down the mountain entered the intersection and hit a vehicle driving west on Route 22 before hitting Rip’s Liquor Shop at 1021 Washington Ave., according to Green Brook Township.
A helicopter flew one driver to a hospital while the other driver was rushed by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.
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"Overweight vehicles traveling on Warrenville Road and Washington Avenue continue to be a problem for the Township. Our police department has been conducting targeted enforcement of overweight vehicles on both roadways and will continue to do so," said Green Brook Police Chief William Coward.
Both roadways are owned and maintained by Somerset County. The Township has been speaking with Somerset County regarding additional safety measures to enhance driver awareness to prevent overweight vehicles from driving up or down either of these roadways.
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Somerset County installed additional signage in 2019 at Route 22, as well as at the top of Washington Avenue and at Mountain Boulevard in Watchung. Despite the signage and increased enforcement, the problem persists, according to the township.
"We will work with our Somerset County partners to explore additional measures along these two roadways in order to protect life and property within the Township," said Green Brook Mayor Jim Van Arsdale, who expressed concern for the crash victims as well as for the owners of Rip’s Liquor.
Anyone with additional information about the crash can contact the Green Brook Police
Department at 732-968-1188.
As a result of the crash, there were delays on Route 22 East near County Route 527/Mountain Avenue in Bridgewater Township to west of County Route 529/Washington Avenue in Green Brook Township, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation's 511NJ website.
It has since been cleared.
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