Seven-vehicle crash hurts at least 8

An investigation continues into a seven-vehicle pileup in Gloucester Township that sent at least eight people to South Jersey hospitals and shut down Camden County's busy Black Horse Pike for four hours Wednesday.

Among those transported were five senior citizens and their bus driver, who were on the way to the Lakeland campus in Gloucester Township for a day program.

The driver of the most seriously damaged vehicle, a 2000 Kia, was taken to the trauma unit of Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Authorities said Margaret Thesing, 69, of Haddon Township, suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

The others transported remained stable or were treated and released, authorities said.

A preliminary police investigation determined that about 9:30 a.m., the bus driver - identified as Gail McCaughrean, 49, of Pine Hill - struck the rear of the Kia, which was stopped in the southbound lane where Front Street and Chews Landing Road form a five-point intersection with the pike, just north of Big Timber Creek.

The owner of 201 Salon, located near the accident scene, said she heard the screeches and the impacts. The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she called 911 as others rushed to help Thesing, who appeared unconscious.

Emergency crews quickly arrived and began extricating Thesing and a passenger in the bus. The Kia, crushed by the impact of several vehicles, was damaged so badly that crews had a hard time getting to the driver, Gloucester Township Deputy Police Chief David Harkins said.

Tom Miller of Runnemede said he heard the commotion from his house and went to the scene. He said the intersection is particularly dangerous.

"You take your life in your hands making a left turn here," he said.

Police said that when the Kia was struck, the impact forced it into the vehicle in front of it - a Mitsubishi, which then struck a pickup. The Mitsubishi also was forced into the northbound lane, striking a Taurus and a Camry. Two ladders on top of the pickup dislodged, creating yet another hazard, when they flew into another pickup.

Three of those involved in the crash declined medical treatment. The bus driver was taken to Kennedy University Hospital in Stratford, where she was stable late Wednesday afternoon.

The accident remained under investigation and no charges had been filed Wednesday. An accident reconstruction team was at the scene throughout the morning. The road reopened about 1:30 p.m.

The senior citizens on the bus ranged in age, authorities said. One was 93. They had been picked up at their homes by the Archway Program, which provides services for senior citizens, and adults and children with disabilities.

Although the yellow Archway minibus was labeled as a school bus, authorities said it was being used to transport only seniors Wednesday.

Bob Poznek, the chief operating officer for Archway, which serves Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester Counties, said Wednesday's accident was unusual.

"We don't have a lot of experience in this type of accident," Poznek said, noting he has been with the company for 17 years. "We take pride in our transportation system."

Poznek said Archway drivers log about 600,000 miles a year with very few incidents. Safety, he said, is a priority.

"This is by far the worst accident we've ever experienced," Poznek said.