What to Know
- A Newark-bound NJ Transit train crashed into a tractor-trailer Tuesday morning in a crossing that has long been deemed dangerous by some and leaving debris scattered over 30 yards
- The incident took place in Middlesex just after 6:30 a.m. and impacted the Raritan Valley train line
- The crash is the second in just five weeks at the Cedar Avenue crossing. In early January, a crash between an NJ Transit train and a car killed the two women inside the vehicle
A Newark-bound NJ Transit train crashed into a tractor-trailer Tuesday morning in a crossing that has long been deemed dangerous by some.
The incident took place in Middlesex just after 6:30 a.m. and impacted the Raritan Valley train line. Though the collision left a trail of debris, the truck driver and the 340 passengers on board the train were uninjured.
Trains were delayed for more than an hour during the morning commute as crews worked to clear the scene.
The truck, which was carrying a non toxic powder used in food and pharmaceutical processing to a plant just yards away, was in a sort of "no man's land" in between a pair of NJ Transit tracks and about 30 yards away a pair of brake railroad tracks. However, the driver misjudged where the tail of his truck was and that is where the NJ Transit train hit.
The crash is the second in just five weeks at the Cedar Avenue crossing.
In early January, a crash between an NJ Transit train and a car killed the two women inside the vehicle. In that incident, the driver apparently became confused about where she was between the tracks before the vehicle was impacted by a train.
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Getting stuck between tracks at the location is not that uncommon, according to nearby workers.
"I think maybe the traffic needs to pay better attention with what’s going on with the trains," Sean Cody, of B&L Towing, said. "The trains are coming and they take a mile or so to stop. I think everyone just needs to be aware and extremely careful when it comes to a railroad crossing."
