ACCIDENT WITH INJURY TIES UP TRAFFIC

091509-crashPolice said the car was crossing Shrewsbury Avenue when it hit the back end of a utility truck. (Click to enlarge)

An 80-year-old Middletown woman was seriously injured this afternoon in a Red Bank crash that backed up traffic in several directions, police said.

According to a preliminary report, the 77-year-old driver of a car attempted to cross Shrewsbury Avenue heading west from the Exxon filling station just north of Newman Springs Road when he ran over a grass median, crossed three traffic lanes and struck a southbound New Jersey Natural Gas truck on the left side, according to police Capt. Steve McCarthy.

The injured woman was a passenger in the car. She was taken to Riverview Medical Center for treatment, McCarthy said.

A 45-year-old Neptune man who was a passenger in the truck was also taken to the hospital

None of the identities of those involved have yet been released. The truck was driven by a 40-year-old Tinton Falls resident.

Police were running detours around the scene. Extensive tie-ups were visible on north- and southbound Shrewsbury.

Police expect to keep the intersection closed until approximately 8p, according to an alert sent out by the police department. The department’s traffic safety unit was on the scene with the Monmouth County Serious Collision Accident Reconstruction Team, McCarthy said.

The