West Orange, N.J. – The New Jersey State Police is investigating a severe motor vehicle crash that injured two state troopers and a West Orange Firefighter on Interstate 280 in West Orange, Essex County.
According to a statement released by police, Tuesday at approximately 10:22 a.m., troopers were investigating a prior motor vehicle crash on I-280 eastbound in the area of milepost 9.5. The right lane was closed while troopers and first responders rendered aid to the injured parties.
Based on the preliminary investigation, police said a Kenworth dump truck was traveling eastbound when it struck a Honda Accord and a Ford Econoline van. The Ford Econoline was pushed into a Honda CR-V and then into a State Police vehicle, which was parked at the initial accident scene and occupied by one trooper.
The State Police vehicle was forced into a Ford E-450 and an unoccupied State Police vehicle. The Kenworth dump truck continued onto the right shoulder and struck the rear of a West Orange Fire Department ambulance, which was pushed into the back of a West Orange Fire Department truck.
The trooper who was seated in the State Police vehicle when it was struck sustained moderate injuries. A trooper and firefighter sustained severe injuries while assisting a patient in the rear of the ambulance when it was struck. Another trooper suffered a severe hand laceration when he jumped over a guardrail to avoid being hit by one of the vehicles.
All three troopers and the firefighter were transported to University Hospital in Newark. The eastbound lanes of I-280 were closed for approximately 11 hours.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.