By John Burton
RUMSON — Borough police and county authorities are continuing their investigation into a motor vehicle collision that occurred Thursday afternoon on Rumson Road that resulted in one passenger being injured seriously enough to be taken by helicopter for treatment.
At about 1:19 p.m., a passenger van for the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, loaded with a number of passengers, was traveling east on Rumson Road when “it appears” it struck the rear of a dump truck also traveling east on that road, Police Chief Scott Paterson said.
The accident occurred at the corner of Conover Lane. “We think the dump truck may have stopped to make a right hand turn on to Conover,” the chief said. “We can’t verify that but that’s what we believe at this time” he said at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The collision resulted in a number of injuries for the unspecified number of van passengers. One passenger, whose injuries Paterson labeled as “severe,” was transported by helicopter from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, 74 Ridge Road, to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune.
Paterson would not release information about the victim, pending family notification.
The other injured passengers were taken to area hospitals. Paterson was not aware of the extent of those injuries but said they did not appear to be as serious as the one victim’s.
As of 3:30 p.m. Rumson Road remained closed to traffic, “causing major traffic delays,” Paterson said.
The Monmoutn County Serious Collision Analysis Response Unit and local police are investigating, but Paterson wasn’t aware of any summons being issued at this time. “It’s too early to talk about that,” he said.
