6 people hurt in 3-vehicle crash in Hamilton

HAMILTON -- Six people, including a 9-month-old, a 10-year-old and a 42-year-old wheelchair-bound man were injured yesterday in a three-car crash on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road near the intersection of Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road.

Township police said that none of the injuries were serious. The accident took place at about 1 p.m.

According to authorities, a car driven by Patricia Kohlmayer, 71, of Trenton, was pulling into the parking lot of Pete's Steak House from Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road when her car accelerated and drove out the other side of the lot onto Whitehorse-Mercerville Road.

"It appears that (Kohlmayer) may have mistaken the accelerator for the brake when attempting to stop in the parking lot of Pete's Steak House," police Lt. John Vorhees said in a statement.

Entering the roadway, Kohlmayer's car was struck by another vehicle driving north on Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. This impact caused Kohlmayer's car to spin into the southbound lane where it was struck by a van driven by the wheelchair-bound Angelo Migliaccio.

Firefighters responding to the scene said Migliaccio's van, which ended up colliding with a pole after hitting Kohlmayer's car, was retrofitted to allow him to operate it from his wheelchair.

Migliaccio, Kohlmayer and a passenger in her car were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton. Kohlmayer's 81-year-old passenger sustained a fractured leg in the crash.

The occupants of the second car -- driven by Gloeva Rhoad, 64, of Trenton, and including the two children -- were taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton.

Vorhees said that Kohlmayer would be issued a summons for careless driving.

Contact Matt Fair at (609) 989-5707 or at mfair@njtimes.com.