MANCHESTER — A three-vehicle collision sent multiple people to area hospitals Wednesday afternoon after a driver exiting a shopping plaza failed to yield the right of way, police said.
Manchester Township police were called at about 1:22 p.m. to the intersection of Pinewald Keswick Road and Valley Stream Drive, where officers found three heavily damaged vehicles spread across the westbound side of the roadway.
According to investigators, a 2021 Ram ProMaster pulling out of the shopping plaza at 550 Pinewald Keswick Road entered traffic and collided with a westbound 2020 Nissan Rogue. The impact caused the Nissan to continue forward and strike a 1998 Jeep Cherokee.
The Ram was driven by 81-year-old Frances Skwirut of Manchester, who reported no injuries. The Jeep was operated by 61-year-old Barbara Marter of Chatsworth, who was taken to Deborah Hospital in Browns Mills with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
The Nissan was driven by 52-year-old Tara Turner of Manchester, who was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and was listed in stable condition. A passenger in the Nissan, 77-year-old Sharon Richardson of Manchester, was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Emergency medical technicians from Manchester Township and Berkeley Township assisted at the scene, along with paramedics from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department and Priced Rite Towing.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing, but failure to yield by the driver of the Ram is believed to be the primary cause of the crash. The incident is being investigated by Patrolman Brendan Brush of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit.
