Several eastbound lanes were closed on Route 80 near the border of Elmwood Park and Saddle Brook Wednesday after a motor vehicle struck a pedestrian on the highway, State Police said. Two people were taken to the hospital.
Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
July 30, 2015
ELMWOOD PARK, NJ
A 28-year-old Department of Transportation worker was critically injured Wednesday morning when he was struck by a Chevy Malibu on Route 80 as he was performing a mobile detail to remove litter from the highway, State Police said.
Carmine De Somma, of Lodi, suffered head and leg injuries when he was hit by an eastbound Chevy Malibu operated by Jahlil Jones, 27, of Prospect Park, State Police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Flynn said.
Three DOT vehicles were in the right lane of Route 80 near the border of Elmwood Park and Saddle Brook when Jones, who was in the center lane, tried to pass a tractor-trailer from the right, Flynn said.
Jones then swerved the Malibu into the shoulder lane to avoid the DOT vehicles and struck the concrete barrier, he said.
His vehicle traveled back into the right lane where it struck a DOT pick-up truck, Flynn said. The Malibu then bounced back into the shoulder and struck a second DOT vehicle and the concrete barrier.
After striking the concrete barrier again, Jones' vehicle crashed into De Somma, Flynn said. De Somma was pinned underneath the vehicle until he was extricated by first responders.
As reported by the Daily Record, several people including a Parsippany tow truck driver stopped for several minutes to help De Somma when they came upon the crash Wednesday morning. The tow truck driver, Richard Growe, extended a hydraulic tow bar under the Malibu to lift it off the man and free his head, which was pinned between the front passenger-side tire and a concrete barrier, the newspaper reported.
Flynn told NJ Advance Media that both De Somma and Jones were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center for their injuries. Jones was treated and released, while De Somma was listed in critical but stable condition as of Thursday morning, Flynn said.
Jones was issued summonses for reckless driving, improper passing, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to make repairs, he said. No other charges are pending at this time, Flynn said.