Manchester crash takes township woman’s life

A Manchester Township woman who clung to life for just over a week after a crash at a busy township intersection, lost her struggle April 3.

Margaret Connaughton, 86, was a front-seat passenger in the 2013 Toyota Corolla driven by township resident Frank Gerbasio, 78, that collided with a 2005 Toyota Tacoma at the corner of Northampton and Commonwealth Boulevards in the late afternoon of March 25.

Township police report that she died at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she was rushed after the crash.

Gerbasio's car was headed south on Northampton, and the vehicle driven by Raymond Flannery, 28, of Manchester, was moving east on Commonwealth, police said.

Authorities noted that Gerbasio and Flannery wore seat restraints, but did not elaborate on whether Gerbasio's passenger was also belted in.

Connaughton and Gerbasio required the help of township volunteer firefighters to be extricated from their car. Both were taken to Jersey Shore, the woman for chest wounds and the driver for hand and back injuries.

Flannery was treated at Community Medical Center in Toms River for head and neck injuries, authorities said. The drivers were admitted in stable condition.

The crash remains under investigation by Patrolman Michael Steffen and Patrolman Ian Bole from the Manchester Township Traffic Safety Section, police said.