UPDATE: Saturday, 2:15 p.m.
LAWRENCE — The driver of a tractor trailer that was involved in an accident that killed three people Friday night on Route 1 at Darrah Lane has been charged with three counts of death by auto, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.LAWRENCE - A female passenger and two children, including an infant, were killed Friday evening when the sport utility vehicle in which they were riding collided with a tractor trailer on Business Route 1 South at Darrah Lane.
Richard Williams, 45, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged after the tractor trailer he was driving collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle carrying a family of five at about 6:30 p.m. in the southbound lane of Route 1, said spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio.
Although the accident remains under investigation, authorities believe the sport utility vehicle collided with the tractor trailer as Mr. Williams was attempting to make an illegal U-turn, Ms. DeBlasio said. It slid underneath the tractor trailer.
Killed in the accident were passengers Jamella Tisdale, 25, Jaevon Durante, 9, and 3-month-old Jaden Tisdale. The driver of the sport utility vehicle, 25-year-old Shaqwan Tisdale, and passenger Mellady Durante, 8, remain in critical condition in the hospital, Ms. DeBlasio said.
Mr. Williams is being held in the Mercer County Corrections Center on $100,000 bail.
Initial story Friday night:
The fatal crash took place near the Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County LibrarySystem at 6:38 p.m, according to Angelo Onofri of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
The SUV slid underneath the trailer of the truck during the crash, trapping the occupants.
Rescue workers shored up the tractor trailer with "cribbing" to keep it from shifting while they cut away part of the SUV to free the victims.
The male driver of the SUV and a third child in the vehicle were taken to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.
The driver was conscious and talking when the first firefighters arrived at the scene, Mr. Onofri said.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the collision.
Route 1 South was closed for several hours while the victims were removed and investigators tried to determine what happened.
The names of the victims had not been released as of Friday night.
Mr. Onofri said Friday that the accident was in the "early stages" of the investigation.
Police were interviewing the truck driver at the Lawrence Township Police Department Friday night.
LAWRENCE — The driver of a tractor trailer that was involved in an accident that killed three people Friday night on Route 1 at Darrah Lane has been charged with three counts of death by auto, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.LAWRENCE - A female passenger and two children, including an infant, were killed Friday evening when the sport utility vehicle in which they were riding collided with a tractor trailer on Business Route 1 South at Darrah Lane.
Richard Williams, 45, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged after the tractor trailer he was driving collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle carrying a family of five at about 6:30 p.m. in the southbound lane of Route 1, said spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio.
Although the accident remains under investigation, authorities believe the sport utility vehicle collided with the tractor trailer as Mr. Williams was attempting to make an illegal U-turn, Ms. DeBlasio said. It slid underneath the tractor trailer.
Killed in the accident were passengers Jamella Tisdale, 25, Jaevon Durante, 9, and 3-month-old Jaden Tisdale. The driver of the sport utility vehicle, 25-year-old Shaqwan Tisdale, and passenger Mellady Durante, 8, remain in critical condition in the hospital, Ms. DeBlasio said.
Mr. Williams is being held in the Mercer County Corrections Center on $100,000 bail.
Initial story Friday night:
The fatal crash took place near the Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County LibrarySystem at 6:38 p.m, according to Angelo Onofri of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
The SUV slid underneath the trailer of the truck during the crash, trapping the occupants.
Rescue workers shored up the tractor trailer with "cribbing" to keep it from shifting while they cut away part of the SUV to free the victims.
The male driver of the SUV and a third child in the vehicle were taken to the Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.
The driver was conscious and talking when the first firefighters arrived at the scene, Mr. Onofri said.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured in the collision.
Route 1 South was closed for several hours while the victims were removed and investigators tried to determine what happened.
The names of the victims had not been released as of Friday night.
Mr. Onofri said Friday that the accident was in the "early stages" of the investigation.
Police were interviewing the truck driver at the Lawrence Township Police Department Friday night.