Man Injured Following Collision On Route 539

A Whiting man was flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune last night for treatment of injuries after a truck he was driving collided with a dump truck filled with sand, police said.

Thomas E. Graf, 53, of Whiting was traveling in his Dodge Dakota pickup truck and attempting to make a left turn from Route 539 onto Lincoln Boulevard around 9:30 a.m. when his truck struck a 2006 dump truck that was traveling north on Route 539. The dump truck was operated by Thomas Manning, age 63, of East Windsor.

Manning was treated on scene for minor injuries, Manchester police said.

Route 539 was shut down to traffic for several hours between the areas of Harry Wright Boulevard and Hegstrom Avenue while police investigated the crash and to remove the truck. The dump truck had a load full of sand at the time of the crash.

Assisting at the scene were: Whiting Volunteer Fire Dept., Whiting Volunteer First Aid, MONOC Paramedics, the Ocean County Sheriff's Department, Ocean County Road Dept., Manchester Township Public Works and Grone's Wrecker Service.

Witnesses to the crash are asked call the Manchester Police Department's Traffic Safety Section at 732-657-2009 extension 6356.