Authorities report that a Riverside resident survived a Parkway crash in Kenilworth only to be struck while running from the accident scene.
Shortly after midnight on February 18, Luis Sarmiento was involved in a two-car crash in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway in Cranford. According to the police investigation, Sarmiento abandoned his vehicle near milepost 139.2 and climbed over the center median, attempting to cross the southbound lanes of the highway on foot.
The 21-year-old was struck while running across the highway. Police recovered his body from the left lane near milepost 139.7 in Kenilworth around 12:45 a.m., only half a mile away from the accident site.
According to the preliminary investigation, the passing vehicles were unable to see clearly or stop in time to avoid hitting the Burlington County resident.
"He was struck by two vehicles," said State Police spokesman Sgt. Adam Grossman.
Sarmiento was identified as the owner of the Honda Accord that had been abandoned at the accident scene just 25 minutes earlier. State Police troopers took statements from the drivers of the two vehicles that hit Sarmiento while he was crossing the southbound lanes.
Grossman said that the cause of the initial accident remains under investigation.
Our legal staff wishes to extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends as we keep him in our thoughts and prayers.