Motorcyclist in Critical Condition Following 'Severe' Route 70 Crash

A Burlington County man was admitted to the hospital in critical condition after he was involved in what police called a "severe" crash Saturday afternoon that forced the closure of a portion of Route 70 for almost two hours, said Manchester Police Capt. Lisa Parker. 

Wayne Adams, 64, of Wrightstown, was riding a 2007 Harley Davidson westbound on Route 70 at 1:36 p.m. when witnesses say a "small white car" carrying two passengers turned left into the Manchester Plaza entrance. Adams braked to avoid the car, according Parker. 

"No impact occurred between the car and the motorcycle; however, this rapid braking caused the motorcycle to flip end-over-end," Parker said in a statement. 

The motorcycle then tumbled and impacted a 1995 Ford Explorer travelling eastbound on the state highway, shattering the car's rear driver's side window. No one in that vehicle was injured, Parker said.

Adams was being tended to by civilian EMTs and "good Samaritans" when police arrived at the scene, Parker said. Manchester First Aid Squad and MONOC paramedics tended to Adams, who was then flown by helicopter to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune and admitted in critical condition, according to Parker. 

Officers from Manchester and Lakehurst closed Route 70 from Colonial Drive to the Lakehurst Circle for nearly two hours due to the crash, Parker said. The Ridgeway and Manchester volunteer fire companies also assisted at the scene.

Police ask that anyone with information on the identity of the driver in the white car contact the Traffic Safety Bureau at 732-657-2009, ext. 4400. Patrolman Thomas O'Hare of that bureau is investigating the crash, Parker said.