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Turnpike Crash Accident

On Dec. 17, 10 passengers on a New Jersey Transit bus were injured in a multi-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike in Linden. Officials believe the accident, which happened just before 8 a.m., was caused by a semitrailer driver who made an improper pass.

According to a preliminary investigation, the chain-reaction collision occurred when a northbound semitrailer smashed into the side of a 63-line commuter bus as the truck driver, who was traveling in the highway’s right center lane, tried to move into the left center lane. The bus, which was heading in the highway’s High Occupancy vehicle lane, originally had 61 passengers traveling from Lakewood to Lincoln Harbor.

When they responded to the scene by the Goethals Bridge exit, rescue personnel had to extricate one of the commuters from the bus and then transported 10 of the bus commuters to University Hospital in Newark where they were treated for their injuries. According to the report, two of the injured were in serious condition. A second bus arrived to transport the remaining commuters to their destinations.

The truck wreck caused traffic gridlock for a seven-mile stretch to Interstate 287 that lasted about six hours while several of the highway’s northbound lanes remained inaccessible. Because the investigation was ongoing, police did not file any charges against anyone involved in the crash. The bus driver, who was not injured in the crash, was not considered to be at fault, according to a police representative.

When a negligent driver causes a multi-vehicle crash that leaves several people injured, the injured parties may be eligible to file separate personal injury claims that could help them recover compensation to pay for damages connected to the crash. A personal injury law firm typically examines police reports and eyewitness accounts in such cases in an effort to determine liability. In a successful claim, plaintiffs may receive a monetary award to offset their medical expenses and income losses.

Source: nj.com, “10 injured in NJ Transit bus, tractor-trailer crash on Turnpike in Linden“, Jessica Remo, Larry Higgs, December 17, 2014