Three Rutgers football players injured in multi-vehicle accident

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Three Rutgers University football players were injured, one seriously, in a multi-vehicle accident caused by a man accused of drunken driving.
Safety Dondre L. Asberry, 20, of Miami, suffered a spine fracture and head injuries in the accident Saturday night, police said.
The junior remained in critical condition Monday at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, hospital spokeswoman Kristen Walsh said.
Cornerbacks Leslie "Manny" Collins and Eddie Grimes, both 20, sustained head and facial injuries. They were treated and released from the hospital along with Collins' brother, George W. Hardison, 18, who also suffered head and facial injuries.
The accident occurred on Route 18 near the Rutgers campus several hours after Rutgers' 16-6 win over Temple.
Police said Daniel J. Merlino, 26, of South Plainfield, was driving north in the southbound lanes of the roadway at about 7:30 p.m. when his 2001 Mitsubishi Galant collided head-on with a 2003 GMC Envoy heading south.
Collins, of Plainfield, was driving a 1989 Toyota Tercel that then struck the Envoy, which overturned, police said. Grimes and Asberry were seated in the rear. Hardison was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the front seat.