In February, the former Miss New Jersey spun out while travelling north on Route 55 and smashed into two trees. She held on while in critical condition, but later died. Since her tragic death, four other lives have been claimed by Route 55 and many have been injured this year, including a woman who crashed into a tree while going northbound and died on the scene. A few weeks later, a prisoner transport van crashed into another car and killed one inmate, while three others were injured. Most recently, a 31-year-old man’s truck flipped over while turning and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Why is Route 55 a Dangerous Road?
On Route 55, there is a point where four lanes turn into the two-lane Route 47 and this is where drivers prepare to pump the brakes. And while this explains the traffic jams, it doesn’t explain why so many accidents happen on this road, especially given the speed limit is a reasonable 65 miles per hour and there are no particularly sharp curves in the road.
Route 55 has had a string of curious incidents since its initial construction in 1983. As it turns out, the road was built through an 8,000-year-old Native American burial ground. During the construction of Route 55, a worker was run over by his own steamroller truck, another worker fell to his death when strangely strong winds blew him off of the overpass, an inspector suffered an aneurysm, several workers became sick with terminal cancer and a van carrying five people blew up unexpectedly. Coincidence? The construction of the road actually halted for a period of time, during which it was briefly (and eerily) named “the road to nowhere.”
Safety Officials Need to Take Action to Reduce the Number of Accidents on Route 55
Regardless of whether the stories are true and Route 55 is haunted, lawmakers need to take action to make the road safer. Speed limits should be reduced and guard rails should be placed. Education and awareness campaigns should be launched and more safety signs should be put up. Already, Route 55 has claimed 4 lives this year and lawmakers should be more proactive in preventing any more.
Though, we do suggest avoiding further angering the local Native American spirits when making improvements.
Spevack Law Firm is a personal injury law firm that fights for victims of car accidents in the Teaneck, Iselin and New Brunswick areas of New Jersey.
