Three people were hospitalized in a crash near the Atlantic City Airport on Thursday.
Taniya Deal, 20, of Atlantic City, was traveling east on Tilton Road in Hamilton Township just before noon, when she crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic, according to the preliminary investigation.
Deal's 2008 Mercedes C300 struck a 2019 Toyota Tacoma driven by Stephen Bouchard, 66, of Egg Harbor City, head on, police said.
Bouchard was flown to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's City Campus.
Deal and her front rear passenger, 30-year-old Shayniyah Reynolds of Atlantic City, were taken to the Atlantic City hospital by ambulance.
All three were seriously injured, Hamilton Township police said.
Deal was driving erratically before the crash, one witness told BreakingAC.
Stephen Hogan said he saw the Mercedes cross the centerline three or four times and over the shoulder strip another three times.
He was getting ready to call 911 when "she crossed over the center line again, and hit the truck."
The "heads up display" in his vehicle showed Deal was traveling at 40 mph in the 50 mph area right before the crash happened.
"At one point, before going through the traffic light, she went over center and abruptly overcorrected, and then went off on the shoulder," Hogan said. "The accident was horrific."
That's when people rushed to help.
"Several of us worked to remove her from the Mercedes because the car was on fire," Hogan said, noting it was not fully engulfed.
"Someone else had a fire extinguisher and kept the flames under control," he said. "I ran back to my car to get a knife to cut the seatbelt but by the time I returned, someone was dragging her out."
Hogan said he gave a statement to police, along with a photo he took before the impact.
A driver behind the Bouchard's truck captured the aftermath in a Facebook live video, which showed the bystanders — including Hogan — in action.
Traffic was diverted for several hours while police investigated the incident.
They were assisted at the scene by Galloway and Egg Harbor Township police, along with State Police, the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office, Prosecutor's Office, and fire companies from Bargaintown, Cologne, Laureldale and New Jersey Forest Fire.
Also at the scene were AtlantiCare EMS and Paramedics, Egg Harbor Township EMS, Galloway EMS, Hamilton Township Rescue Squad and Atlantic City Airport Rescue.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Hamilton Township police at 609-625-2700.
