A Manchester driver is hospitalized with a chest injury after a harrowing crash on Route 70 Tuesday afternoon.

Route 70 Quik Chek crash (Manchester PD)
Route 70 Quik Chek crash (Manchester PD)
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The car driven by Harold Barnett, 86, veered off the highway and rammed several roadside business signs, coming to rest when it collided head-on with a Quik-Chek sign near the intersection of Route 571, according to township police.

Officers who responded at about 1:12 PM to the spot in the Ridgeway section said that Barnett was still inside his 2006 Honda Civic when they arrived, and needed help from emergency workers to emerge from it. The impact was sufficient to inflate the car's air bag.

Police learned that Barnett had begun a left turn from the Santander Bank on westbound Route 70 when he suddenly accelerated and hit a curb before careening into the signs.

Barnett was secured by a seat restraint, police said. He was treated at Community Medical Center in Tms River.

Quality Medical Transport staffers assisted Manchester Emergency Medical Technicians. The investigation of the crash was led by Patrolman Ian Bole of the Traffic Safety Unit.

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