Paterson police together with the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene unit are still investigating the circumstances around the fatal crash that happened on Route 19, on the border of Clifton and Paterson. Police said they received a call about a car crash on Route 19 near Valley Road at around 9:45 a.m. Several injuries were reported during the call, police added.
Police reports show that at around 9:38 a.m., Gregory Macheska a 55 year-old man from Nutley, was driving his container truck southbound when he was hit by a 2009 Mitsubishi Galant driven a 17 year-old girl from Paterson. The 2009 Mitsubishi Galant, then overturned ejecting the driver, and three other juveniles who were in the car.
The driver and two other passengers sustained heavy injuries from the accident and were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. The driver unfortunately succumbed to her injuries at 12:50 p.m.
The driver of the truck did not suffer any injuries, but is shaken from the accident. Police investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been filed yet.
First and foremost, we would like to send our sincerest condolences to the family of the driver. We understand how much pain losing a loved one so suddenly can bring. We also hope the two passengers who suffered from severe injuries recover well.
New Jersey Department of Transportation’s most recent statistics reports that in 2016, there were a total of 256,482 crashes. 59,096 of these crashes resulted in injury, and 571 of those crashes ended up fatal, leading to the deaths of 602 people. One of the biggest causes of car accidents in New Jersey is speeding, contributing to 27 percent of all fatal crashes. Distracted driving is another big factor in car accidents. Distracted driving includes things like cellphone usage, adjusting climate controls, messing with the car stereo, or being distracted by others in the vehicle. We urge drivers to avoid doing these on the road to ensure road safety not only for them, but for others on the road too.
Written by: Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers Last Updated : November 28, 2021