BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY DAVE BENJAMIN A tractor-trailer lies across Route 9 north in front of Regal Plaza following an accident that occurred at about 9 a.m. Sept. 1. HOWELL — Sept. 1 was a morning that the workers at J&A Pork Store and Deli, Route 9 near West Farm Road, won’t soon forget.

Owner-manager Joey Mignosi said he and his butcher, Jimmy DiMino, were preparing for the day’s business when, just before 9 a.m., a jackknifed tractor-trailer came skidding on its side and stopped in front of their business at the Regal Plaza.

Mignosi said he and DiMino ran outside and found truck driver Allen Williams, 53, pinned inside the cab. Mignosi said it was apparent Williams would need to be extricated with some type of rescue device since the truck was “wrapped around the light pole.”

Rescue personnel assist the driver of a truck who was injured in a crash on Route 9, Howell. Mignosi said there were flickering sparks coming from the pole.

Mignosi said he and DiMino were the first people to reach the accident scene and they did what they could to help by lifting the windshield off Williams’ chest. He said they tried to comfort Williams, who remained conscious, and assured him that help was on the way.

Mignosi said Williams was airlifted from the scene about 30 minutes after the accident occurred.

Mignosi said he and DiMino also tried to comfort Amy M. Stein, who was the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident.

Howell Traffic Safety Officer Matthew W. Bishop provided an official account of the accident. He said Williams, who lives in Wall and is a professional driver employed by Con-Way Central Express, was traveling in the right lane on Route 9 north in a 2000 Sterling tractor that was pulling two 20-foot trailers. Stein, 24, of Toms River, was driving her 2000 Dodge Caravan in the left lane of Route 9 north.

Bishop said that based on witness statements it was ascertained that Stein passed Williams’ truck on the left and then proceeded to make a right turn from the left lane — crossing in front of the truck — in an effort to gain access to her place of employment in Regal Plaza.

Bishop said Williams attempted to avoid colliding with Stein’s vehicle and lost control of the truck. He said the truck and trailers rolled over on their side and slid north on Route 9 before coming to rest on a grassy area in front of Regal Plaza when the truck’s roof collided with a utility pole.

Bishop said Williams was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, for treatment of severe leg injuries and a possible broken pelvis. He said Stein did not receive any injury as a result of the accident.

Bishop said Stein was issued motor vehicle summonses for careless driving and making an unsafe lane change.

He said that after the collision between 10 and 15 gallons of Hydrex sealer, a flammable substance, was leaking from the rear trailer. The flammable substance was being hauled along with some other miscellaneous cargo.

Bishop said hazardous materials teams responded to the site along with the Howell First Aid Squad, the Adelphia, Southard and Freewood Acres fire departments, MONOC paramedics and the New Jer-sey State Police helicopter, personnel from the state Department of Transporta-tion’s Critical Accident Man-agement unit, the Monmouth County Serious Crash Anal-ysis and Response Team and the Monmouth County and Fort Monmouth HAZMAT teams. Traffic was detoured off Route 9 north from Georgia Tavern Road from the time of the accident at 8:45 a.m. until about 6 p.m. after repairs to the utility pole were made.

No further information about Williams was available on Sept. 8.