UPDATE (October 15, 2024): Recent reports identified the two people killed in the accident as Ahmad Campbell and Melvin Jones. According to officials, Ahmad Campbell and Melvin Jones were passengers in a vehicle going northbound on Route 1. Their vehicle crashed with a southbound tractor-trailer making a left turn.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

The driver of the passenger vehicle is currently accused of driving drunk. That's obviously a serious accusation worth addressing, but it brings up a possible legal conflict that I get questions about all the time. A key detail I'm still not seeing in current reports is who had the right-of-way here. That could make a huge difference in what may come next for the families affected by the crash. Namely, if it's found that two drivers made mistakes here, how does the law determine who's to blame?

For example, let's say the 18-wheeler had a green left-turn arrow, and the alleged drunk driver simply blew through the light. No one in their right mind would try to blame a truck driver for that—any driver, for that matter. But if a truck driver has a solid green light or a flashing yellow and tries to rush through the light, they wouldn't necessarily be off the hook just because the person they cut off was drunk. It could be that a potential jury would see both drivers did something wrong, and therefore both should be held responsible to some degree. Or, they could side with one driver over another. There is no magic equation. It's up to the evidence to paint a clear picture of what happened, how it could have been avoided, and whose mistakes ultimately led to the deadly collision.

At the end of the day, the people who were killed in this accident weren't behind the wheel. It's important, then, to consider the nuance of the law and its process for seeing people are held responsible for their respective actions. It may be one person is to blame, both are to blame, or even neither are to blame due to some one-in-a-million, unusual and unavoidable situation. Ultimately, that's up to the evidence to say, and I still have reservations about whether or not authorities are really addressing this story from all angles.

Linden, NJ — October 5, 2024, two people were killed and one was injured after a tractor-trailer accident at around 3:00 a.m. on Route 1.

According to initial details about the accident, it happened at the intersection of Route 1/West Edgar Road and South Stiles Street.

Investigators said that three people were in an Infiniti which was going northbound along Route 1. While doing so, the vehicle somehow crashed into a tractor-trailer which was reportedly making a left turn onto South Stiles Street. Due to the collision, two of the passengers in the Infiniti were killed while the driver was seriously injured. No other injuries were reported.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Some key details not mentioned in these statements is which direction the tractor-trailer was going and who had the right-of-way at the time. with this intersection apparently being controlled by a light, one would think the details would be a bit more apparently. Maybe they're working hard behind the scenes and simply withholding specifics from the public.

However, authorities don't always catch all of the important details surrounding a deadly truck wreck. It would surprise folks how often we have independent investigators look into a serious accident, and they reveal information authorities simply overlooked. Maybe similar efforts would only confirm what authorities already know, but it wouldn't be the first time a serious truck wreck like this needed attention from independent accident reconstructionists before the victims and families involved could get some clear answers.