WBJ Exclusive: Driver charged with Chelsea Traynor's death ran red light

"I can tell you without a doubt that the truck ran the red light. It was a big 4x4 type pickup doing maybe 50mph."  That is what an eyewitness told WalkBikeJersey last week after we ran the story about Roger Hode being charged in the crash that took Chelsea Traynor's life.  Also according to the eye witness "she had the green light and that the truck ran the red light."

When WalkBikeJersey visited the site in December 2010, we looked at the signal timing specifically at how long it took to cross the intersection once the pedestrian signal button was pushed.  With this information it would seem likely that Chelsea took the time to wait until she had the proper signal and the right of way.  This new information makes her death all the more tragic.

Driver who killed Rutgers student charged in 2010 traffic death

The Star-Ledger is reporting that Rodger Hode of South River has been charged with aggravated manslaughter and death by auto in the December 2010 killing of Chelsea Traynor on Route 18 in New Brunswick.  On the morning of December 9, 2010 Traynor was crossing Rt 18 on her bicycle at the southern most intersection of George St when Hode's Ford pickup truck hit and killed her. 


View Bicyclist fatality Rt 18 and George St. 12/9/10 in a larger map

The then 21-year-old Californian Chelsea Traynor, of Concord, California was a sophomore, in the class of 2013, majoring in nutritional science at the university’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick, formerly known as Cook College.  She had previously studied at Humboldt State University in California and had recently transferred to Rutgers.

Site of the Traynor crash in December, 2010.

Traynor's death was the second reported bicyclist/pedestrian fatality on the newly renovated New Brunswick section of Rt 18.   The previous fatal crash was in October of 2009 when 15yo George Coleman was struck and killed just north of the George St intersection at Commercial Avenue.  WalkBikeJersey is thankfully unaware of any other pedestrian or bicyclist fatalities along this stretch of highway since Traynor's death.  WalkBikeJersey reverently visited the crash site in only a few days after the tragic events and investigated and photographed the facilities as they were at that time.

Our hearts at WalkBikeJersey reach out to the Traynor family and hope that justice carried out in her case.

Cyclist killed in New Brunswick crash ID'd as California woman - Updated with photos of intersection

The Star-Ledger reported on Saturday that the woman killed in a crash on Rt 18 at Georges Rd in New Brunswick was 21-year-old Californian Chelsea Traynor, of Concord, California. Traynor was a sophomore, in the class of 2013, majoring in nutritional science at the university’s School of Environmental and Biological Sciences in New Brunswick, formerly known as Cook College. As of Saturday, no charges were filed against the driver.

Since the Google Streetsview imagery was outdated for this newer intersection I went out and visited the location, took some pictures so I and our readers could get a better understanding of the place and what could have happened to Chelsea Traynot. I went through the crosswalk to cross the northbound local lanes of Rt 18. Going over to the riverside it took exactly one minute to get the walk signal. Upon my return in took only 20 seconds. It also appeared that when traffic turning left from George Stgot the green light, all traffic on the northbound local lanes also came to a halt. I did not observe the operation of the light well enough to say that this was the case with 100% certainty.

It was rather somber to go to a place where someone had lost their life not even a week earlier and I took these pictures and show them here with the greatest reverence to the deceased.

Traffic turning left onto Rt 18 in the foreground. The green signal for these
drivers seemed to bring all Rt 18 traffic to a halt seen in background.A view of the approach to the intersection with George St.
A view of the approach to the intersection but further south along the highway.
Note the posted speed limit.

Rt 18 claims life of Rutgers student crossing on bike

MyCentralJersey.com and several other news organizations are reporting the death of a 21 female Rutgers Student 11:10 a.m Thursday morning who was crossing the local lanes of the highway with her bicycle at Georges Rd near the Cook and Douglas Campuses. This is the second fatality of a person crossing the northbound local lanes of Rt. 18 in New Brunswick. The previous fatal crash was in October of 2009 when 15yo George Coleman was struck and killed just north of the George St intersection at Commercial Avenue.


View Bicyclist fatality Rt 18 and George St. 12/9/10 in a larger map

We at WalkBikeJersey send our condolences to the unnamed victims family.

News 4 NY: NJ Highway With No Speed Limit Now Has 4

If you follow this blog or the NJ Bike/Ped News Digest you may be aware of the up-roar about the new section of NJ Rt 18 in New Brunswick not having any posted speed limits up until very recently. Tragically, it is felt by many that the lack of a posted speed limit may have had a cause in the pedestrian crash fatality of a New Brunswick boy. Even though the boy crossed against the signal, the speed of the driver that hit him was 68mph, way above the default speed limit of 50mph. It is believed by his family that the boy misjudged the speed of the car, never expecting it to be traveling so fast and that a proper, lower speed limit should have been installed when the road first opened.