Hackettstown Woman, 81, Dies After Crashing Into Tractor Trailer

An 81-year-old woman who crashed into a tractor trailer on Grand Avenue last week has died from her injuries, Hackettstown Police said.

Marilyn Spier died Friday, one day after the Hackettstown resident struck the back of a tractor trailer near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Mountain View Drive and was airlifted to Morristown Medical Center.

The accident remains under investigation by the Hackettstown Police Detective Bureau and the New Jersey State Police commercial/carrier inspection unit, Sgt. Darren Tynan said.

According to Tynan, William Grover, 57, of Morgantown, Pa., parked his tractor trailer without his hazard lights on partially in the southbound travel lane on Grand Avenue. 

Grover had stopped in an attempt to turn around because his truck wasn't going to fit under the 10-foot-8 clearance at the culvert on Grand Avenue.

Spier was driving a 2004 Honda southbound on Grand Avenue when she looked down to retrieve and a tissue and struck the back of the tractor trailer, Tynan said.

Grover was issued summonses for being parked in a no parking zone, obstructing the passage of other vehicles, failure to activate the hazard lights and careless driving.