Driver of red pickup interviewed, won't be charged

NJ Ledger ^ | April 14, 2007 | NJ Ledger

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

State Police say they have interviewed the driver of the red pickup truck whose sudden maneuver on the Garden State Parkway was believed to have led to the crash of Gov. Jon Corzine's SUV on Thursday night. He has not been charged. Superintendent Rick Fuentes issued a statement saying the driver indicated he was unaware of the accident.

The driver's identity was not released because there are no charges against him. He is described as a 20-year-old Atlantic County resident and an employee of an Atlantic City casino.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

This version doesn't mention Corzine without a seatbelt.

[mdefranc]

Not charged? Curiouser and curiouser.

[mware]

state official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the driver was a "special needs driver" who may have a mentaal impairment.

[AFPhys]

As of now, the only thing they can readily charge him with is “leaving the scene of an accident”, I suspect.

They know where he lives now, and it is by no means out of the question that there may be further charges in the future, I would suspect.

[XRdsRev]

Just how much time, money and resources were just wasted investigating and tracking down someone who isn’t going to be charged ????

[Grut]

This version doesn't mention Corzine without a seatbelt.

He's covered by the Constitution's Important People Clause.

[Moss]

No version mentions how fast Corzine was going...My guess, he was well over the limit and his speed was the primary cause ....

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

This story also confirms that Corzine was in the front seat.

Would you sit in the front seat of a car travelling on the highway without a seat belt? I wouldn't!

[50mm]

They know where he lives now, and it is by no means out of the question that there may be further charges in the future, I would suspect.

Unless revealing the identity of the red pickup driver would somehow embarrass Corzine or the 'rat party.

[TET1968]

Usually when they don’t mention race or political tilt, you can guess the the answers.

[Cvengr]

If he skidded on wet pavement, he must have been HydroCorzine

[conservative in nyc]

Not charged? Curiouser and curiouser.

I'm not sure why this is curious. The accident occurred right before a curve, and the driver of the red truck simply might have seen the accident behind him. Leaving the scene of an accident is only a crime if you KNOW there was an accident in the first place.

[tflabo]

Special needs driver who works at a casino.....mmmmmm...

Driving dimwits to get fleeced at the casinos? Special needs in securing that tax $$ flow from casino’s to Corzines NJ corrupt treasury goes uninterrupted? Follow the $$ here. It’s my own rabbit trail surmising here mind ya!

[sageb1]

“state official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly, said the driver was a “special needs driver” who may have a mentaal impairment.”

Where is the article that said something about a mental impairment? Could the special need have been a physical or medical one?

[devane617]

I get the notion that “officials” want to leave this alone. Corzine in the front seat, no seat belt, speeding (wonder how fast), probably distracted. The red truck is two vehicles removed from the accident — the gov’s suv swerves to miss a white truck, who swerved to miss a red truck, that “may” have entered the h-way illegally. To many questions that if answered will make the gov look bad. Let it rest is the best course of action in the situation.

[VeniVidiVici]

The superintendent said the crash investigation so far indicates the red Ford pickup pulled onto the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township and showed down, but then veered back onto the roadway, causing another vehicle to pull sharply to the left to avoid it. That second vehicle, a white Dodge Ram, stuck the front right fender of the SUV in which Corzine was riding.

Sure. People drive like this everyday, run folks off the road and it's all legal. Oh Lord, the time I've been wasting waiting for traffic to go by before getting back on the highway.

[arthurus]

“Uncharged” in NJ is truly weird. you would think “somebody’s gotta pay!”

[conservative in nyc]

More from the AP:

Acting on information obtained from the Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department, along with leads that state troopers generated from Garden State Parkway surveillance cameras and toll information, authorities found the 20-year-old driver Friday night at an Atlantic City casino, where he works, and interviewed him.

"The statement of the driver of the red Ford pickup indicates that he was unaware that he caused this accident which unfolded as the other two vehicles passed him," State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said. "He stated that he pulled back onto the road and left the area, believing that he was not involved."

The driver was not identified because he was not charged, state police said.

[Bill_o'Rights]

Driver of red pickup interviewed, won't be charged

I thought this was a flashback about Janet Reno...
"Janet Reno, a Democratic candidate for governor and former United States attorney general, was involved in a minor traffic accident when another driver collided with her beloved red pickup truck"

[Cicero]

BUT, one more point. Basic defense driving common sense teaches us that we do pass another car when there are more cars than lanes (e.g., we shouldn't pass a car when there's a car in the entrance ramp, because if he tries to enter the highway too soon, what's the driver between us and him supposed to do?); by extension, this applies to a moving car that's on the shoulder. In short, the driver of Corzine's car could've avoided the accident by applying common sense, like not passing the white truck at the point where there was the red truck on the shoulder.

Somebody posted this comment in response to the linked story. I think it makes sense. Sometimes you have to pass bottlenecks on a road like this, but if you do, you slow down first. If Corzine's driver went full speed into a situation like this, right at a dangerous part of the highway, he wasn't doing his job properly.