Essex County Boy Killed In I-78 Crash, Open Alcohol Containers Found: Police

LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, PA — Police discovered open containers of alcohol in a car following a crash that killed a 5-year-old Essex County boy in Lower Saucon on Wednesday, authorities say.

Nadine Walton, 54, of Newark, was driving in the left lane of Interstate I-78 East near the Route 33 interchange around 1 a.m. with the 5-year-old boy, a 2-year-old girl and a 31-year-old Newark resident as passengers when she drove off the left side of the highway, Pennsylvania State Police said.

After driving off the highway, Walton allegedly attempted to correct the swerve, but her 2011 Nissan Versa veered back across the highway and hit a guard rail along the highway's right shoulder, police stated.

The impact with the guard rail threw the three passengers from the vehicle, then the Nissan returned to the road and came to a stop in the left lane, authorities stated.

Police said that two other vehicles then struck the Nissan: a 2014 Kia Forte driven by a 26-year-old male from Easton, Pennsylvania, and a 1996 Dodge Caravan driven by a 49-year-old male from Warren, New Jersey.

Authorities said that emergency responders found the 5-year-old boy dead at the scene and transported the other passengers in the Nissan to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township. Walton was in an intensive care unit around 8:30 a.m., NJ.com reported.

The drivers of the Kia Forte and Dodge Caravan suffered minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals. Both were wearing their seatbelts and neither faces traffic citations, police said.

Police said that the adults in the Nissan were wearing their seatbelts and the children were in safety seats. However, officers also found open containers of alcohol in the Nissan, authorities stated.

“Further investigation” regarding the alleged open containers of alcohol is needed, and possible traffic citations against Walton are pending investigation, police said.

The crash temporarily shut down traffic at the Hellertown interchange on I-78 East, the Morning Call reported.

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