More Front Page Headlines |
Salary guides onlArbitrator rules on
Photo
Matawan-Aberdeen budget goes to councils
Youth killed in Fri. car accident
Contempt warrant leads to arrest of 3 in Cliffwood
K-9 officer, dog rank high in regional contest
Voters narrowly defeat budget, oust incumbent
Two former board
members, newcomer
to be sworn in tonight
New board members
anxious to get started
Allocco, Baumlin and Strickland to be
sworn in tonight
Middletown school plan passes by hefty margin
Cavalier, Conroy, Inzerillo, Minnuies to
be sworn in Tuesday
Democrats trying to unseat
Larrison, Powers in county
Republican incumbent
freeholders will face
primary challenge June 4
Public hearing on Fort Hancock draws debate
Deadline to comment
on assessment extended to May 6
Davey, Wall file counter-harassment charges
Complaints stem from April 9 Planning
Board meeting
Hazlet planning memorial to township 9/11 victims
Eight, including unborn child, to be remembered at Veterans Park site
Hazlet sending 8 teams to
Odyssey of the Mind finals
Two-day trip fund-raiser set for this weekend at Middle Road School
Dronne, Pascucci back
in the GOP primary race |
Youth killed in Fri. car accident
By elaine van develde
Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN — No one knows why or how it happened, but tragedy struck on Friday when an honest day of work ended up claiming the life of a young man.
Seventeen-year-old Michael Harrigan, a student at the New School in Tinton Falls, was the victim of a fatal car accident, said Lt. Bruce Winter of the Middletown Township Police Traffic Bureau. Michael had just received his license in December.
As Winter described it, Michael had just started a job at Luigi’s Famous Pizza in the Lincroft section of Middletown and, while on a delivery run, met with "extremely unfortunate circumstances."
"It’s just one of those tragedies that we can’t really explain," he said.
There are very few clues as to what happened to cause the fatal accident on Swimming River Road at 6:50 p.m. April 19 when Michael was on his way to deliver a pizza.
The only possible contributing factor, Winter said, is that "the accident occurred during a short windy rainstorm that evening and the road was wet."
Though the accident is currently under investigation, Winter said, what the police have gleaned is that apparently as Michael was driving around a curve in his parents’ Mercedes-Benz, the vehicle slid off the road and collided into a tree, smashing the driver’s side door into him.
"Apparently, the side impact of the door caused him to sustain multiple internal injuries," Winter said, adding that side-impact accidents tend to be the most lethal. "With this kind of accident, there is no cushion from air bags or anything. It’s the worst place you can get hit. A door crushes inward very easily. This sort of impact is a large contributor to fatalities. It’s usually very severe."
Michael was transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune, where he was pronounced dead.
It was a one-vehicle accident, Winter said. Police are still investigating.
No witnesses to the accident have come forward, so details remain sketchy.
It has been deemed an unfortunate accident.
Police are examining the car and its damage to better ascertain what happened.
"We’re trying to piece it together. There are virtually no witnesses who have come forward. We are still looking for witnesses, though. Someone out there may be able to fit the pieces together," Winter said. "It’s very tragic for such a young life to end."
|
