Internal Injuries, Head Lacerations in Route 78 Crash, Police Say

Three victims of a  eastbound on Saturday were flown to area hospitals, while two others were taken their via ambulance, according to the New Jersey State Police.

Julio Maradiaga-Ramirez, 23, of North Plainfield, was driving near the 39.3 mile marker on the eastbound side of the highway in Warren Township at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday when he lost control of his silver Honda Civic, running off the left side of the road, hitting trees, and flipping the vehicle, according to Lt. Stephen Jones.

The car was carrying five passengers when it crashed, and the police report indicated that some of the occupants were not wearing seat belts, Jones said.

Carolina Ayala, 29, Mayra Rivas, 27, and a 17-year-old minor, all of North Plainfield, were all flown to Morristown Medical Center following the accident, while Maradiaga-Ramirez and Julio Martinez-Rodriguez, 25, also of North Plainfield, were driven by ambulance to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, said Jones.

Ayala reportedly suffered internal injuries and rib fractures, Martinez-Rodriguez suffered cuts to his head, and Rivas suffered cuts to her face, Jones said.

The accident is still under investigation and blood samples were taken for testing from the driver of the vehicle, Maradiaga-Ramirez, Jones said.

The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office and the State Police Crime Scene and Fatal Accident units also responded to the accident.