2 Ejected After Semi Causes Chain-Reaction Crash On I-80: NJSP | Parsippany, NJ Patch

ROCKAWAY, NJ — A dump truck driver and his passenger were severely injured Friday morning after they were rear-ended by a semi truck along Route 80 and ejected from the vehicle, state police said.

A total of six vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction crash, which shut the highway for about four hours, according to officials.

Police said all six vehicles were westbound on the highway: A Chevrolet pickup truck hauling an enclosed box trailer, a Toyota passenger car, a Ford pickup truck, a Ford box truck, a GMC dump truck, and an International tractor-trailer. As traffic began to slow, the tractor-trailer hit the back of the dump truck, state police said.

According to officials, the impact caused the dump truck to strike the back of the pickup, redirecting it into the path of the box truck. The dump truck continued forward and hit the rear of the Toyota, which in turn hit the back of the Chevy trailer.

The dump truck's driver, 61-year-old Saloman Cespedes, and 44-year-old passenger Jose Cuzco-Aluiso both sustained serious injuries after being ejected from the vehicle, per State Police.

The incident was first reported at 7:37 a.m., west of Exit 35 for Mount Hope Avenue in Rockaway, state police said. All lanes had reopened to traffic by noon, per the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

New Jersey State Police are investigating the crash, and did not release any other information as of Friday afternoon.

This crash occurred about a mile from the site of three sinkholes in the highway, which have all lanes of I-80 closed and detoured at Exit 34 in Wharton.

Residents of western Morris County have been dealing with delays and increased traffic in their communities since the first sinkhole opened in December, after an abandoned mineshaft collapsed.

Another sinkhole opened in the center lane of I-80 east on Feb. 10, and the third appeared last week.

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy said that crews were hoping to reopen two westbound lanes by the end of the week, but NJDOT still lists all lanes as closed. Officials said the eastbound side may take another six weeks to fix.

For now, the following I-80 detours are still in place:

I-80 westbound Exit 34B detour:

I-80 eastbound Exit 34 detour:

Drivers are advised to use Exit 28 to take Route 10 eastbound or Route 46 eastbound as an alternate route to avoid the area. This exit is several miles before the closure.

Route 10 eastbound alternate route:

Route 46 eastbound alternate route:

Or:

Residents can click here for any updates on sinkhole repairs and when this section of highway might reopen.