Mt. Laurel Police are continuing to investigate a pair of serious traffic accidents that took place within a span of nine days.
An accident on Dec. 28 involved the death of a male pedestrian after a vehicle hit him in the northbound lanes of South Church Street.
Police say the victim, 65-year-old Ike Williams Jr. from Penn Street in Burlington City, was walking in the road between Academy and Saint David Drive around 5:25 p.m. when a vehicle hit him. Emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate Williams, however he died on the scene.
Lt. Stephen Riedner said the police are still waiting for the outcome of a full investigation. Police are unsure of why the victim was walking in the road when he was hit.
“It is still under investigation as to why he was walking in the road,” Riedner said. “It doesn’t appear that he had any relatives in the area.”
However, he noted the driver of the vehicle pulled over and stayed at the scene of the accident.
“At this point, it doesn’t look like any charges will be filed,” Riedner said.
The accident snarled traffic on Church Street for about two hours. The road was closed immediately following the accident as the site was cleaned up and investigated. The road reopened around 7:30 p.m.
Nine days prior, police were investigating another accident where a woman was seriously injured after her vehicle struck an oncoming truck on Church Road. The accident took place near Brookwood Road on Dec. 19 at 1:18 p.m.
Police say the injured woman’s Ford Windstar minivan was traveling westbound on Church Road when it crossed into the eastbound lane, striking a commercial flatbed truck.
Emergency personnel arrived on the scene shortly after the accident. The minivan driver was taken to Cooper Hospital and treated for serious injuries. The driver of the flatbed truck was not injured in the accident.
The accident caused police to close Church Road for two hours during the investigation. Traffic was diverted onto Hainesport-Mt. Laurel Road until Church Road reopened later in the afternoon.
Riedner said charges have not been filed in either accident. Mt. Laurel Police are still conducting full investigations of both accidents and are looking for more information into the causes. Any witnesses are asked to call the Mt. Laurel Police Department traffic bureau at (856) 234–1414 ext. 1565.
