UPDATED: 8-year-old dies in Turnpike Accident

An 8-year-old girl from Queens was killed in a car accident shortly before noon following an accident on the N.J. Turnpike in South Brunswick Monday.  

Ayanah Paxton, 8, of Queens, N.Y., was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick after being airlifted from the scene. Also injured in the accident were Pricilla Paxton, 48, also of Queens, and Maurice Corney, 17, of Jamaica Plains, N.Y., according to the New Jersey State Police. Both were taken to the hospital, but no information was available as to the extent of their injuries.

At about 11:45 a.m., a one vehicle accident occurred in the southbound lane of the Turnpike north of Exit 8A, adjacent to mile marker 75.2, according to Trooper Christopher Kay.

The vehicle, driven by Pricilla Paxton, struck the median and overturned, causing Ayanah to be ejected from the vehicle, according to police. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, according to the NJSP. 

The inner roadway was closed to allow for the landing of the helicopter. As of 12:58 p.m., there were delays on the Turnpike inner roadway southbound from north of Exit 9 to north of Exit 8A in South Brunswick. The Turnpike Authority was reporting a 9-mile traffic backup. 

All lanes were reopened as of 1:30 p.m., Kay said.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.