4 Dead in New Jersey After Car Slams Into Oil Tanker

Four people are dead after a car slammed into an oil tanker on the Garden State Parkway early Dec. 26.

The New Jersey State Police said that there were four confirmed fatalities in a crash on the parkway in Berkeley Township, near Exit 81 in Toms River.

Troopers responded at 2:50 a.m., the police said.

The driver of the oil tanker was not injured.

Officials told WABC that a white Infiniti slammed into the back of an oil tanker. Video footage from the scene showed the Infiniti completely destroyed, with only the portion above and behind the rear wheel intact.

The car was towed away. Multiple ambulances and firefighters were among the first responders on the scene.

The road was clear as of 9 a.m. EST, according to 511 NJ, New Jersey’s transportation website.

For hours after the crash, the two southbound lanes of the parkway were closed down.

According to Steve Burns, a reporter at WCBS, trucks are allowed on the southern half of the Garden State Parkway, south of exit 105.

The identities of the deceased were not released. It also wasn’t clear whose fault the accident was. WCBS reported that the state police were investigating the case of the accident.

Fatal Car Crash Statistics

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, analyzing data from the Department of Transportation, there were 37,461 deaths from car accidents in 2016, the last year full data is available for.

The deaths occurred across 34,439 fatal motor vehicle accidents. The number means 11.6 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, although those numbers can vary widely across states.

In New Jersey, which has a population of 8.9 million, there were 569 fatal crashes and 601 deaths that year.

Those figures equaled 6.7 deaths per 100,000 population, one of the lowest figures nationwide, and 0.78 deaths per 100 million miles traveled.

The majority of fatal accidents are single-vehicle crashes, the institute noted.

Natalie Dempsey, 21, a Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company firefighter, died on Dec. 25, 2018. Mizpah Volunteer Fire Company

NJ Firefighter Killed

A firefighter in New Jersey was killed on Christmas Day in another accident, officials said.

Natalie Dempsey, 21, was on her way to work when she lost control of her 2001 Honda Accord in Hamilton Township Tuesday morning.

She crashed into a guardrail and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dempsey was the vice president of the volunteer squad. Firefighters didn’t realize she was the deceased until they stopped to help police with the accident while returning from a fire they were called out on.

It “smashed my heart out,” Chief Jay Davenport told the NJ Advance Media.

He said Dempsey had been a firefighter for three years and was planning to become a police officer.

“She was one of the most beautiful-souled people you could imagine,” he said. “The world was lollypops and rainbows for that girl. Her smile can light up the room.”

The Mizpah Fire Company asked people to keep Dempsey’s family in their prayers.

“We will keep you all updated on any funeral arrangements. This will be a funeral with full honors due to it being a line of duty passing,” the fire company stated.

From NTD News