Debris on NJ Turnpike might have caused deadly tanker truck crash
October 8, 2015
By stefanie dazio
STAFF WRITER |
The Record
Courtesy NBC 4 New York
A plume of smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
KEARNY — Debris on the New Jersey Turnpike might have played a role in the death of a tanker truck driver Wednesday. The driver’s identity remains unknown.
The driver encountered slowing traffic because there were several mattresses and boxsprings on the highway’s northbound lanes near milepost 109.5, State Police said on Facebook. The victim was unable to maintain control of the truck while trying to avoid other vehicles. The truck traveled across the right lane and right shoulder, hit the right guardrail and overturned before becoming engulfed in flames.
The driver was trapped in the truck and pronounced dead. State Police are working to identify the vehicle and authorities will perform a medical examination to determine the victim’s identity.
The northbound lanes of the Turnpike remained closed for hours in the area. The crash remains under investigation.
The fire had sent up a plume of smoke that could be seen for miles, and proved difficult to extinguish until the Port Authority sent a tanker truck equipped with fire-suppressing foam, authorities said.
Kearny firefighters and emergency medical technicians responded shortly after the accident, the State Police said. The Port Authority Police Department then sent a foam tanker truck that is used to fight fires at Liberty International Airport in Newark, the agency said.
State Police had previously said the tanker overturned following an accident with a Honda CRV, but updated information did not specify the CRV’s involvement. The driver of the CRV was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.