Six people were killed in car crashes and a bicyclist was killed riding in Mercer County over the weekend.
Six people died in car crashes over the weekend, and an avid bicyclist was struck and killed riding through Mercer County.
The 36-year-old bicyclist, Joseph Harvie, of Monroe Township, was fatally hit Saturday by an oncoming car at about noon Saturday. Harvie was turning onto Airport Road in East Windsor.
Two of the fatal accidents this past weekend involved box trucks.
On Friday morning, a small box truck smashed into the rear of a dump truck on Route 9 northbound in Old Bridge, police said. One person died and two others were injured.
Fatalities on N.J. roadways peak on July weekends
The second fatal accident involving a box truck was reported Saturday. According to police, a Ford F-550 crashed into a Toyota Rav-4 in Franklin Township just after 12:30 p.m. One person was killed.
A vehicle overturned on the New Jersey Turnpike Sunday, killing the driver and injuring the only passenger, police said. 8/7/2016. (Photo courtesy of Brad Seigal) On Sunday evening, a Maryland man lost control his car on the New Jersey Turnpike and crashed near milepost 72.7, according to State Police. The 30-year-old died from his injuries.
Just a few hours earlier, a fatal two-vehicle crash was reported in Howell. The driver of a pickup truck involved in the accident was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was identified as an Eatontown resident Monday.
On Saturday, a Newark man died after crashing his motorcycle into a car on a Route 280 exit ramp, police said.
Another fatal motorcycle crash occurred on Friday night when a 19-year-old man was thrown from his motorcycle in a Howell Township accident, according to police.
This was one of three serious motorcycle accidents at the Shore in four days.
A motorcyclist was seriously injured Sunday after a minivan turned in front of the bike on Indian Head Road in Toms River. Another motorcycle crash happened on Thursday night in Toms River. The 26-year-old died Friday morning.
A Maplewood woman was also in critical but stable condition Saturday after she was hit riding her bicycle in Livingston.
State Police data from the first five months of the year shows that the death toll from car crashes was up almost 10 percent from the same time in 2015.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.