Two separate commercial truck accidents forced officials to shut down the New Jersey Turnpike for several hours on the morning of April 6.
The first truck accident left one dead. A Peterbilt truck driven by Mavin Chevez, 29, from Yonkers, stuck a pedestrian on the turnpike in Barrington. Chevez was able to maintain the truck and stop it without hitting any other vehicles, according to NewJerseyNewsRoom.com. Chevez did not suffer any personal injury.
Chevez told investigators he initially believed he had hit a deer. He did not know he had struck a pedestrian until he got out and discovered the body.
Police believe the deceased pedestrian—whose name has not been released—may have committed suicide.
Later on that same morning, while respondents were still cleaning up the first truck accident, another 18-wheeler crashed into the back of a Toyota in a separate truck accident in the southbound lane near the Maple Shade interchange in Mount Laurel. The truck, driven by 49 year-old Michael Richardson from Trenton, overturned and spilled produce across the turnpike. The driver of the Toyota, identified at 51 year-old Chandrapith Vatsyayana, was pronounced dead on the scene. Following the second truck accident, the turnpike was closed down for several hours in both directions.
