A woman struck and killed while crossing the Garden State Parkway spent a month in the hospital and underwent extensive physical therapy to walk again after her boyfriend beat her six years ago.
Cristalla Vaccarella, 26, of Manchester in Ocean County, was pronounced dead at the scene around 6:40 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Several vehicles that struck the former Montclair woman kept going, but the driver whose car was the first to hit her as she dashed across the northbound lanes remained there and spoke with troopers, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Brian Polite told CLIFFVIEW PILOT the next morning.
The driver of a black 1997 Toyota Camry, a Spring Valley man, said he did his best to try and avoid her but was unable to, the sergeant said.
Vaccarella, who walked with a limp, crossed just south of the Montvale service area on foot when she was struck near milepost 172 northbound around 6:20 p.m., Polite told CLIFFVIEW PILOT Thursday night.
Troopers closed all three northbound lanes as quickly as possible, diverting traffic off Exit 172. Those lanes were later reopened.
Another law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the incident told CLIFFVIEW PILOT that the woman was decapitated, creating a gruesome scene for the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office. READ MORE....
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