Accidents on the New Jersey Turnpike are often messy. There is no getting around it. Drivers are travelling at high speeds and often in heavy traffic where people tend to make last-minute decisions and react to unexpected events. If you have ever driven on the Turnpike, you also know that there are a large number of less-than-safe drivers on the road. Basically, it is a recipe for disaster.

That is exactly what happened this week when emergency responders were called to the New Jersey Turnpike to tend to those who were injured in a very serious trucking accident. Involved in the collision were four vehicles that are much larger than the average car. Two tractor trailers and two box trucks smashed together on Monday, April 15.

Not only did traffic stop for miles while emergency crews picked up the large pieces of metal and glass that had shattered across the road and move the large vehicles to clear the lanes, but a landing zone was also created so that a medical helicopter could land. That helicopter was sent to transport the injured to a local hospital. While one of the injured drivers was assessed under the status of “minor” injuries, another was not so lucky.

Despite advanced medical attention, one of the drivers was not able to be saved. New Jersey State Police confirmed the death of the driver, but they did not immediately release the name of the individual who was killed nor did they report what vehicle the driver had been operating at the time of the crash. It is unclear at this point what caused the vehicles to collide.

Source: nj.com, “State police: One dead after Turnpike crash in South Brunswick,” Brian Amaral, April 15, 2013