\A commuter bus was involved in a serious accident with a passenger car in Clifton, New Jersey, colliding with a passenger car and careening out of control until it ended sideways across a highway, stuck on top of a concrete median.
The incident occurred on Route 3 in Clifton and closed almost all lanes of that highway; the eastbound lanes were closed entirely and two of the westbound lanes were shut down as well. The location is close to the Garden State Parkway and just a few miles from Manhattan and caused a major traffic jam.
According to local police, the accident occurred just before 2:30 in the afternoon and involved a DeCamp bus. It reportedly collided with the involved car and then rammed into a concrete highway divider. The bus’ front wheels went right through the barrier, leaving the large vehicle with its front end hanging over onto the other side of the highway while the rest of the vehicle completely blocked the eastbound lanes.
The bus’ precarious position made it impossible for rescuers to remove its riders, leaving them trapped inside for a period of time. It took approximately three hours to clear the accident from the roadway.
The bus was fully loaded, carrying twenty-seven passengers in addition to the driver. Several passengers were reportedly injured, though none of the injuries were said to be life threatening. Eight people were taken to two area hospitals for treatment, while the remaining passengers were picked up by another bus and taken on their regular route.
Though the accident is still under investigation, witnesses reported that a car may have cut in front of the bus in an attempt to exit the roadway, though it is not clear whether the vehicle that cut the bus off was the same one with which the bus collided.
Removing the bus from the concrete barrier required the use of a crane, as the vehicle needed to be lifted up and freed from the divider. The accident and its clean up operation afterward tied up traffic in the hour throughout the afternoon.