A driver's foot slipped onto the gas pedal instead of the brake at an intersection in Norwood, New Jersey, on Wednesday evening, setting off a chain-reaction crash that sent an SUV airborne, flipped it onto the roof of another vehicle, and left three people hospitalized. The crash happened around 8:03 p.m. at Livingston Street and Blanch Avenue, according to Norwood Police Chief Christian Federici.
The Ford Explorer driver, a 59-year-old, was heading north on Livingston Street toward Blanch Avenue when the traffic light turned amber and hit the gas instead of the brake, according to Federici's account as reported by DailyVoice.com. As the SUV entered the intersection, a westbound vehicle struck the Explorer's passenger side, according to the police chief. Separate reporting shared on Facebook by Independent Online News identifies the westbound vehicle as a Toyota Corolla traveling on Blanch Avenue that broadsided the SUV.
The collision sent the Ford Explorer airborne, and it landed on the roof of a vehicle that was stopped in the southbound lane of Livingston Street, per Federici. The SUV then slid off that vehicle's roof and struck a fourth car before coming to rest, according to the same account. The Facebook post identifies the vehicle the SUV landed on and the fourth vehicle struck as a Mazda 3.
Extrication and Hospital Transports
Norwood firefighters had to extricate the Ford Explorer driver from the wreckage at the scene. Once freed, the driver reported head and neck pain and was taken by Norwood EMS to Hackensack University Medical Center, according to Federici's account relayed through the DailyVoice.com report.
Two other motorists involved in the crash were also hospitalized with similar complaints of head and neck pain, per the same account. Four occupants involved in the overall crash refused medical attention at the scene, according to police. All four vehicles were ultimately towed from the scene.
Mutual Aid From Neighboring Towns
Responding to the multi-vehicle wreck required backup from beyond Norwood's own department. Norwood first responders received assistance from Closter EMS, Closter Police, Harrington Park Police, Harrington Park EMS, and Northvale Police, according to the DailyVoice.com report.
An Intersection With a History of Signal Damage
Wednesday's crash isn't the first time trouble has struck the Livingston Street and Blanch Avenue intersection. Local Facebook posts from Norwood-area community groups note the intersection has previously faced major closures after collisions knocked down the traffic light and its post entirely, including one crash and a separate tractor-trailer collision that damaged the signal in past years.
How Common Is Pedal Confusion?
The Norwood crash fits into a wider pattern that federal safety researchers have been tracking for years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that pedal misapplication errors cause roughly 16,000 preventable crashes annually across the country, or about 44 incidents a day, according to research cited by Hardy Wolf & Downing. Drivers under 20 and over 65 experience pedal-error collisions at roughly four times the rate of other age groups, according to NHTSA research reported by Claims Journal. Federal researchers also point to inconsistent pedal placement and design across vehicle makes and models as a contributing factor in these mix-ups, per the same outlet.
Hoodline has covered similar pedal-error crashes elsewhere in recent weeks, including a driver who smashed into a strip mall after mixing up the gas and brake.
What Happens Next
Under New Jersey's traffic laws, an amber signal generally requires drivers to stop before entering an intersection unless they're within 50 feet while traveling 20 mph and cannot stop safely, per N.J.S.A. 39:4-105 as outlined by NJ Ticket Attorneys. Drivers found to have operated without due caution in a crash can also face careless driving charges under N.J.S.A. 39:4-97, which carries two license points, fines between $50 and $200, insurance surcharges, and up to 15 days in jail, according to Rosenblum Law. It remains an open question whether Norwood police will file formal charges against the Explorer driver once their investigation into Wednesday's crash concludes.
