Parkway toll plaza crash kills woman, injures man

A car crash at a Garden State Parkway toll plaza killed an Atlantic County woman early yesterday and seriously injured the vehicle's driver, police said.

Su Ping Xia, 44, of Egg Harbor, was a passenger in a 2003 Mercedes E-320 driven by Ben Pham, 52, also of Egg Harbor. Shortly after 12:30 a.m., the southbound Mercedes slammed into a concrete abutment at the Barnegat Township toll plaza. Xia, who was not wearing a seat belt, died instantly of massive head trauma, said Sgt. Jeanne Hengemuhle, spokeswoman for the state police.

Pham, who was strapped in, received head injuries, multiple leg fractures, and internal injuries. At the time of the accident, the road was wet and slippery in spots, said Hengemuhle. Pham was being treated at Shore Memorial Hospital in Neptune, police said.

- Sam Wood