The last few days have produced several serious accidents in New Jersey, not the least of which was a crash on I-287 in Bernards Township that left three dead and many others injured. Other truck accidents throughout the state took their toll on motorists, including one in Dennis Township, one in South Brunswick Township and another in Union Township.
Tanker Truck and School Bus Accident Injures Three Kids
Dennis Township, New Jersey – December 1, 2015
In the most recent New Jersey truck accident news, an accident between a tanker truck and a school bus on the Garden State Parkway injured four people on Tuesday morning. Among those injured in the truck accident were three children on the school bus and the tanker truck driver.
The tanker truck involved in the accident was hauling fuel when the crash occurred at around 8:21 a.m. in Cape May County, New Jersey. According to police officials, the truck accident was reported at the 17.6 mile marker in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway. The cause of the truck accident remains under investigation.
Emergency crews had to extricate the tanker truck driver from his vehicle where he remained trapped after the accident. Once emergency crews were able to extricate the entrapped truck driver from his truck, he was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.
According to an article on NBC 10, emergency response crews took the three injured schoolchildren to Cape May Regional Medical Center after the collision between the school bus and tanker truck. The news agency reported that the children’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Recent statistics from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that about 25 million public school students commute to and from school on over 450,000 school buses every day. With so many buses on the road, there are bound to be accidents. Buses are involved in .5% of crashes that occur each year, potentially leading to tragic and devastating results.
Data from the NHTSA also shows that each year an average of 23 schoolchildren perish from a fatal encounter with school transportation. Such a high fatality rate has brought up safety concerns from parents and safety advocates over the years. One of those concerns is over the lack of seat belts in all school buses.
The NHTSA recently announced a federal policy change for the agency concerning seat belts in school buses. Mark Rosekind, Administrator for the NHTSA, said the agency’s new policy calls for lap-shoulder seat belts in all buses. While the NHTSA has yet to announce their policy change as the law is pending further investigation into funding, Rosekind hopes the school bus industry will embrace the idea of installing seat belts in all buses for the safety of every child riding the bus to and from school.
Recent Rutgers Graduate Among Three Fatalities in Tragic Crash Involving a Cattle Trailer
Bernards Township, New Jersey – November 28, 2015
Three people perished in a recent New Jersey car accident, including a college graduate with a promising future. Another 12 people sustained injuries from the violent chain-reaction crash on Interstate 287. The accident involved three vehicles, including a Dodge truck that was towing a cattle trailer.
The multi-vehicle crash began when Troy Chase, the 43-year-old driver of a truck, pulled over on the side of the eastbound lanes on Interstate 287 in Bernards Township to check on the livestock in his trailer. Chase was outside his vehicle when a Hyundai Elantra struck the Dodge truck.
Ravi Naik, the 23-year-old Hyundai driver, parked his car on the shoulder of Interstate 287 after hitting the truck to inspect the damage. While Naik exited his vehicle parked on the shoulder, a Ford passenger van driven by Xu Feng Ma hit a guardrail, struck the Dodge truck hauling the cattle trailer and then Naik, who was standing on the shoulder. The Ford van then went back on the highway and crashed into the center median. The accident was reported at approximately 10:30 p.m. in Somerset County.
Two other people, both passengers in the Ford van among 13 people, tragically died at the scene of the chain-reaction crash on Interstate 287. Authorities reported that everyone inside the Ford van, including those that perished from the terrible accident, worked at the Ling Ling Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant in Basking Ridge.
According to an article on Pix 11 News, Naik was taken to Morristown Medical Center where he was pronounced dead an hour after his arrival. Family and friends expressed outrage over the loss of the young man who recently graduated from Rutgers University and planned to begin working at his first job in New York. Tushar Desai, Naik’s uncle, voiced his anger after the untimely death of his nephew by describing Naik as an innocent pedestrian who was just “standing on the sideline”.
Naik was traveling home from mentoring a young, first generation, Indian man when the accident occurred in Bernards Township. Neel Naik described his cousin as a man who gave back to his community. A friend also said that Naik declined a great job offer in North Carolina so he could stay close by to his ailing grandfather. Naik’s death has especially impacted his heartbroken mother who still can’t believe her beloved son has passed away.
No charges have been filed and an investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Semi Truck Erupts in Flames After Rear-End Truck Accident
South Brunswick Township, New Jersey – November 28, 2015
A semi truck jackknifed in a fiery truck accident on the New Jersey Turnpike north of Interchange 8A on Saturday morning, sending one person to the hospital. The semi truck rear-ended a minivan while both vehicles were traveling in the southbound lanes on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Authorities said the semi truck erupted into flames after the accident. Elliot Remi, the 32-year-old semi truck driver, walked away from the accident without any injuries. The driver of the minivan, Troy Claffee, was transported to a local hospital after the semi truck accident.
Occasionally, tailgating, fatigue, distraction, inattention or inebriation are found to be the cause(s) of rear-end truck accidents. A semi truck driver failing to slow down for changes in traffic or construction zones can also lead to a dangerous rear-end collision with another vehicle.
Information based on the Large Truck Causation Study performed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) shows that rear-end collisions occur with some frequency. According to the FMCSA study, rear-end collisions account for 22 percent of all crashes involving semi trucks. Negligent semi truck drivers can potentially cause significant, life-altering pain and suffering to victims of a rear-end collision because they simply aren’t paying attention to the road.
An article in The Telegraph Times states that an investigation into the cause of the South Brunswick Township semi truck accident is still ongoing.
Box Truck Accident Causes Life-Threatening Injuries
Union Township, New Jersey – November 25, 2015
In other New Jersey truck accident news, a serious accident occurred last Wednesday when a box truck crashed on Interstate 78 near Exit 11. Emergency crews had to evacuate the injured motorist by helicopter for immediate treatment.
New Jersey State Police Tweeted that the box truck was located by the center median and the injured motorist had to be flown to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to an article from Lehigh Valley Live, the box truck overturned in the westbound lanes of I-78 near mile marker 12 in Hunterdon County. New Jersey State Police were notified of the box truck accident around 1:30 p.m.