WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – A woman who was seriously injured and hospitalized after a suspected drunk driver hit the rear of the vehicle she was riding in had been rear-ended by an inattentive driver hours before, sending her to the hospital for hours.
According to a Washington Township Police Department accident report, Alexandre Shepherd, 37, of Villas, was stopped behind another car heading south on Egg Harbor Road, near Berkshire Road, on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at around 6:30 p.m.
The car in front of her was waiting for an oncoming car to pass before making a left turn. While Shepherd and the car in front were stopped, a 2014 Acura struck her in the rear, pushing her car into the car in front of her. Debris from the crash went into the northbound lane, striking the oncoming car.
The driver of the Acura, Daljit Singh, 31, of Sewell, told police there was a vehicle traveling in his lane of traffic, which turned into the right-hand lane. He continued southbound in the left lane and struck Shepherd’s vehicle. Shepherd and her daughters were transported to the hospital with injuries.
Singh was issued citations for careless driving and following too closely.
Approximately nine hours later, on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 3:27 a.m., the Shepherds were being driven home from the hospital by her aunt and uncle when their vehicle was rear-ended on Route 347 in Maurice River Township and forced off the road, where it struck a tree.
Shepherd, who was riding in the front seat due to her leg’s being immobilized because of the earlier accident, and the driver, her uncle, Joe Lowry, were the most seriously injured. Shepherd, her two daughters, and Joe and Jen Lowry were all taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
On Friday, Nov. 22, Shepherd’s father, Mark Shepherd, said his daughter and Joe Lowry were in acute rehab in Vineland. He said Shepherd’s older daughter was recently rushed back to the trauma center in Camden and has undergone three surgeries to date.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
