17 October, 1984
Truck Hit From Rear
Second Truck Driver Charged. No one can blame 63- year old Dale Gwin of Opossum Road, Skillman if he drives around looking over his rear shoulder. Twice within six days Mr. Gwin was struck in the rear; the first demolished his pick-up truck, the second caused slight damage to his brand new Ford Explorer truck.
The first and most serious incident occurred last Wednesday morning on Route 206. Mr. Gwin had pulled from Mansgrove Road onto 206 and almost immediately had braked and signaled to make a left turn onto Jefferson Road. He later told Ptl. John Clausen at Princeton Medical Center that he had observed a truck coming south on 206 when he had looked up after stopping for the Mansgrove stop sign and estimated the truck to be 600 feet from the intersection.
Mr.Gwin’s truck was. rammed in the rear by the Mack truck loaded with trap rock. After the collision, his pickup traveled 294 feet and struck a service pole. After striking the pole it continued on, crossed Red Hill Road and continued another 86 feet before striking a tree on the lawn of Gary Hughes, 78 Laurel Road. Mr. Gwin was knocked unconscious, his truck demolished. He was taken to the Medical Center for treatment of injuries of the entire body. A passenger, August Boehn, 31, Winbrook Apartments. Hightstown, was treated for a neck injury.
Ptl. Clausen changed the other driver, Wayne W. Guthrie, 21, of Hightstown with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and carrying an overweight load.
Guthrie told the officer that he did not immediately stop after the accident because he did not want to cause an accident to vehicles traveling behind him. Because of front end damage, he added, he was not able to steer properly, causing him to hit a pole on Route 206 near Cherry Hill Road.
He continued driving down 206 and turned left onto Mt. Lucas. When he noticed his tailgate had opened, he said, and some of the stones he was hauling were falling out, he stopped, backed up and dumped part of his load. He then continued up Laurel Road, turned right onto Jefferson and parked.
At the scene, Ptl. Clausen detected an odor of burning brakes. He noticed the truck was registered to carry a gross weight of 70,000 pounds. He found a receipt from Trap Rock Industries in Kingston indicating the truck had picked up a load of 74,800 pounds.
Yet Again. Monday, Mr, Gwin was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Arlene S. Walker, 35, of Cranbury, failed to yield while making a turn onto Valley Road from Harrison opposite the Princeton Shopping Center.
She collided with a Ford Ranger operated by Giachion B. Gaudioso. 21, of Route 518, Skillman, spun off and hit the rear of Mr. Gwin’s new truck which had been stopped at the concrete island, waiting to turn left into the Shopping Center. There were no injuries but Ms. Walker’s car had to be towed from the scene. She was issued a summons for an improper turn by Sgt. Mario Musso, the Township’s traffic safety officer.