Jackson, NJ – The dangers of East Veteran’s Highway have demonstrated themselves once again as the driver from last Tuesday’s motorcycle accident at the Bowman Road passed away due to complications sustsained in the crash.   Ronald Pern, Sr. passed away during surgery on Saturday night after being reported in stable condition earlier in the week. 

Mr. Pern was driving his motorcycle southbound on East Veteran’s Highway on Tuesday when a dump truck, driven by Charles Vasaturo, Jr. failed to yield for Pern’s motorcycle turned left onto East Veterans Highway before being hit by Pern, who had the right of way.    The same scenario unfolded in December when a vehicle failing to yield resulted in five people being sent to the emergencey room.   The intersection has been the scene of many very serious accidents over the years as drivers turning from Bowman road impatiently rush through the stop sign to beat the oncoming traffic.

The accident occured on a very deadly stretch of East Veteran’s Highway which has seen several other fatal accidents between South Hope Chapel Road and Bennetts Mills Road as the 50 mph highway twists and turns for several miles with out any traffic lights to slow and break up traffic.

The section of highway where this accident occured has also been a source of contention for local resident Phil Stilton as he unsuccessfully lobbied the Jackson School District to relocate school bus stops along this very deadly stretch of road which has claimed the lives of several Jackson Township children over the years.   The school board had rejected Mr. Stilton’s claims that the road poses risk to children despite the nearly two dozen fatal and critical accidents on this stretch of highway each year.  

Stilton has tried many times to contact the county engineering department, leaving messages for Frank S. Scarantino to inquire about the hazardous conditions on the road, however those calls have not been returned.   A letter sent to the township from the engineering department blamed hazardous conditions on drivers breaking traffic laws and lack of enforcement by the Jackson Township Police Department.

“Something needs to be done on this road before we lose another resident” said Phil Stilton, who has been pressing the township and county about road conditions for over one year.   “We’ve lost so many people on this part of East Veteran’s Highway and nobody seems to care.  The Board of Education refuses to take the kids off the road, the county won’t make their road safer and our municipal leaders have no control over the situation since it is a County road.  How many more people have to die before something is done?  When you combine dangerous driving behaviour with dangerous road conditions, it’s a disaster waiting to happen, and it’s usually innocent people like Mr. Pern, who are just driving down the road,  who unfortunatley pay the ultimate price for the ignorance of others.  A traffic light at this intersection could help save lives along this whole stretch of road.”